


Seeker Frustration

by Seeker_Sister



Series: Scintillam Vinctum [1]
Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: #fluffernutters, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Being Lost, Creative License, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, Guilt, Trauma, Wilderness Survival, i probably need professional help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 11:17:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 49
Words: 68,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20425088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeker_Sister/pseuds/Seeker_Sister
Summary: Knightflyer finds herself stranded with the dreaded air commander himself somewhere far from home. Severely wounded, the Decepticon will have to trust her if he is to survive and along the way might rediscover a part of himself he abandoned centuries ago.Warning: this will be my first fic ever to be uploaded. despite working on this since last July i don't have a beta reader so hopefully i haven't missed many mistakes. I've been sitting on this for over a year and finally gonna give it a go so don't shoot me!





	1. chapter 1

Smoke… heat...wind ….dust...pain…  
Definitely pain!  
All these she became acutely aware of as her optics slowly came back online. A buzzing rang in her head as she struggled to focus on what was in front of her. Gradually the colors of brownish grey and an ethereal blue came into focus. The grayish material her head was resting on appeared to be a kind of soil, the blue seemed to be a skyline in the distance. A sudden intake of breath brought on a sharp tinge of pain and a violent coughing fit. Turned out the substrate was fine, loose and easily inhaled. Although she didn’t necessarily “breathe” her body didn’t appreciate the sudden intrusion.

‘Make up your damn mind!’ she cursed her body as she forced herself up off the ground with unsteady arms. One moment it was painfully obvious she was a giant robotic life form, the next the smell of barbecue would cause her mouth to flood at the thought of a steak…or a whole damn cow at that point. It was bad enough that she hid her “unnatural” cravings to ingest organic matter over energon, from the others. She hunted deer, stole poachers takes, etc. What was the worst was when Optimus and Ratchet found out. Optimus had done his best not to overreact and hid any disgust. Ratchet on the other hand had petrified in abject horror and silence for a good minute. Once he snapped out of his shock he had rushed her into med bay to assess what he had been sure would be a horror show of damage and complications. To his shock no adverse effects could be found. Instead another quirk of her unique nature was discovered.

After getting upright, kneeling in the grey “powder” she took a look around herself. The smoke was from what was left of the small shuttle she had been racing through an asteroid belt. Obviously it didn’t weather the impact well. On that note she switched her attention to herself. Both arms, both legs were intact. Standing up and stretching she discovered some grinding in some joints. Most likely from the weird soil she nose¬-dived into. Her wings were a different story. Sharp warning signals told her the left one had a large tear in the mid joint and the other had seized at the back plate juncture. Another diagnostic signal told her the self-repair function had been initiated. ‘Grounded for now I guess’ she sighed inwardly.

Flying…

Flyer…

Seeker…

STARSCREAM!

Suddenly she remembered why she had chanced the asteroid belt in the first place. The air commander himself had chased her into it. The craft was not designed to manoeuver through anything so tight and unpredictable. Taking a moment to focus on what had happened to end up here there was nothing but a familiar flash of light and warm energy…then nothing. She felt her “heart” sink... ‘Fuck! Where the hell am I now!?’ She sighed to herself.

Gazing to the horizon she added “we” to that question. In the distance there was a large plume of smoke rising from behind a…tree line? Being an alien world and all, who knew if it was actually vegetation? It was possible the Decepticon had followed her through whatever anomaly had happened. He probably hadn’t fared much better for a landing. But for all she knew it was a naturally occurring fire or something created by any indigenous life...if there was any.

Shaking her head she decided prioritizing her situation was the most important. Scanning the wreckage the only possibly salvageable part was what was left of the cockpit. Striding towards it she caught a view of herself in a pool of coolant and other fluids. She was a mess! Her hair (yes she had hair) long and black was covered in the ashen grey soil and charred in places. The self-repair was working on it but damn! She ran her talons through it, trying to brush out the dirt and mats.

She took a moment to ponder how strange it was for the others to look at her in her gargoyle like appearance. Her bat like-wings, talons on her hands and feet… It was only a metal version of how she was before when she was organic but still… cybertronians didn’t have hair, or food cravings or... other things. With a huff she straightened herself and walked to the wreckage. Crouching she starting sifting through the rubble. The communications array was destroyed. She found a small beacon but its range was limited. After testing the device it seemed to be functional so she turned it off and put it in a storage area in her left upper thigh. ‘Still weird’ she mused as the compartment closed. Further searching revealed nothing else but a couple flasks of high grade engex. ‘Any port in a storm’ she justified as she put one on her left leg compartment and downed the other one. Not that energy would necessarily be a problem for her but considering her situation she needed a “boost” of sorts.

After thoroughly searching the wreckage and feeling suitably braced she stood tall and looked in the direction of the tower of smoke in the distance. It could be him or it might not be. If this was an inhabited world could she leave things be and go in search of escape or rescue? If he was functional (if he had followed her at all) what evil would he bring upon an unknowing populace? Especially if where they were had no knowledge of Decepticon's in general? The questions kept screaming through her head. It might not even be his vessel. He might even be dead as it was but a part of her had to know. He was the enemy, it should be justified if he had died but a pang of something akin to survivor’s guilt guided her decision. Her wings were only at 50 % so on foot it would be. Taking a deep intake she set off in the direction of the smoke. She managed a swift stride at first, into a gentle jog, which soon became a strong sprint. There was a tugging in her chest …she had to know….she had to know.


	2. Chapter 2

“They’re going to pay! All of them! Optimus! Megatron! And especially her!” the infuriated seeker growled his mantra over and over with every excruciating step he took. He was blind, hobbled by a barely functioning right leg, a severed right arm at the elbow and from the warning signals screaming at him his right wing was pretty much destroyed. To say he was in pain would be an understatement. The other warning signals told him his left optic was also destroyed and from the sparking in his right optic cavity his optic was hanging from its socket. He had attempted to physically inspect it but instantly recoiled as feedback surged at the touch. The only thing keeping him from focusing on the pain was chanting that phrase to himself. If it hadn’t been for the Autobots, if not for Megatron ordering him to pursue the wretched femme, he wouldn’t be in this horrid state. That’s what he told himself anyway.

Air commander Starscream, second in command of the Decepticon forces, had come to consciousness blind, disorientated, gravely injured and royally pissed off! When his lord had ordered him to pursue the femme he questioned his commander on the worthwhileness of such an action. This had earned him an instant backhand which sent him across the command center. Such an action usually came after a failed attempt to overthrow the warlord, not from a simple question. What was so special about this freak? She had been a humanoid organic before but still… he had met her in combat since she came by her new body but didn’t see what would make their lord so fixated with her. He shuddered to think he merely wanted her for some twisted pleasurable purpose. He grimaced at the thought he had risked his life for such a diminutive purpose. ‘To the pit with him if that’s all I’m worth!’ he fumed internally.

All his service, all his efforts, all his work for the cause…here is where it might end. It angered him more than anything that it all could’ve been for nought. He was a scientist and the most intelligent in Megatron’s army and he felt he was thrown away like cannon fodder. He knew their leader had grown unstable and even more rash due do the recent constant defeats to the Autobots but this was the last straw. He had rallied to the cause eons ago, recognizing the need for reform and had hoped to help see it come to fruition.  
Where did it go wrong…?

In war ideals get twisted and warped and by then Megatron’s forces where the most likely to prevail. The scientist in him had weighed the odds and decided he’d mold himself to be the most useful and indispensable so to ensure his survival. He followed his lord without question for centuries, offering his counsel and strategies and research for his disposal. After the incident which landed them in stasis on Earth he began questioning himself. When he had attempted to overthrow Megatron it was merely an attempt to revamp the cause. The warmongering wasn’t getting anywhere and he was the only one who saw this. His attempts to sway his master landed on deaf audios and now he was sure he was headed for the scrap heap.

His sensors had detected the smoke and heat from the wreckage. In any other circumstance he would be thankful for being functional but he was alone with no help and if that femme had survived as well she might hunt him down. In his current condition he had no option but to get up…and move! It didn’t matter in what direction. His instinct was survival or at least to escape from the possibility of capture or death from the enemy.

He couldn’t justify his death from being killed dishonorably by the enemy; he’d rather die from energon depletion first, which was quite likely at this point. His system kept putting up alerts of energon and coolant leaks. He knew the more he moved the more this worsened but he wouldn’t be captured. No! Not Starscream! Every step became more laboured as his systems gradually begun to overheat and cause more energon to course through his lines to try to compensate. Temperature warnings started to be set off but he didn’t falter, soldiering on, not giving up, like the warrior he was… or so he thought he was.

He was a scientist first and foremost. He only changed his approach to his life after joining the Decepticon movement. He understood the motivation but the brutal actions it used abhorred him at first. He then decided he had to adapt to survive. He buried his idealistic side and conformed to be the most useful to the strongest player in an ideological war… which turned into a brutal conflict. He continued to brainwash himself to stay sane. And look where he was now…

With every step he vented more sharply. His mind became more muddled as he overheated, starved of energon and leaking other precious fluids. But he could only think of keeping moving, in any direction, it didn’t matter. At least if he was moving, he was alive. That was until a sudden feeling of claustrophobia struck and he collapsed to his knees. Suddenly he couldn’t get enough ventilation, the darkness closing in around him. For a seeker this was the worst thing imaginable. No sight and no feeling of the wind as you soared through the atmosphere. He was grounded, blind and dying. He knew if he panicked like this it would mean he’d shock himself into stasis so he struggled to envision a skyline, a horizon to soar towards. He desperately tried to recall his last flight and the clouds, the wind speeds and the air pressure against his fuselage. Slowly he came to calm down enough to summon the strength to stand again.

Taking a few steps while briefly recanting his previous mantra he found a rhythm despite his damaged appendage….until he tripped over…something. Landing unceremoniously on his left side he cursed everything around him in Cybertronian. Taking a moment to try to compose himself, he half righted his frame while feeling out for what had offended him. After grasping at his own leg down to his pede he found what felt like a fallen part of what on earth would have been called a tree. Running his good servo along it, it seemed sturdy and dense. Testing its tensile strength he used it to right himself to his feet again. Finding it satisfactory he used it to aid himself in keeping one pede in front of the other. Again the warnings sounded again, unable to silence them he started to recant his mantra… the only thing his now fevered mind could cling to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this being my third post be prepared for more detailed notes after this chapter. still in shock, I had the courage to actually go through with this lol.

It was a forest after all... of sorts. While completely alien to her, as she came closer to it there looked to be tree-like forms. It was a type of vegetation that sprang from the grey dust like soil. She wondered if it was similar to the ones on Earth but shook the curiosity from her head because she was on a mission. She had to find the source of the smoke and confirm it.

Lucky for her the repair system she had was extremely efficient and as she galloped on she got stronger and weaved through the bowers and limbs with ease. Keeping her goal insight she pressed on dodging any outlying limbs and jumping over the deadfall as it came. The tugging in her chest never ceased, like there was a purpose she had to follow through. Yes he was the enemy, and should be terminated on site…but could she do it? She never had to offline anyone before. She had seen her fair share of battle (so far) since she acquired this form….but killing was new. The memory of him shooting her out of the air when she was ‘organic’ flashed before her eyes. ‘He didn’t give it a second thought back then so why should I now?’ she pondered.

Finally, she came to a clearing where the evidence of the wreckage was obvious. Albeit with less recognizable parts, but was Cybertronian. She stood for a moment, scanning the area, ‘no way he survived’. Part of her felt cold at that thought. Yes, they were on different factions but maybe Optimus’ influence of compassion and hope had taken root in her more than she’d known.

There were less visible parts of his ship than hers so she scanned for anything that might register as seeker class. The only thing that pinged was a trail of Energon and coolant in a slight zig-zag pattern to what one could discern from the planet's magnetic field as...north? ‘When in Rome’ she sighed inwardly. Crouching she assessed the amount of energon and coolant leaked and froze. It was him and he was in desperate trouble. Without an infusion of coolant and Energon (Energon at the least) he’d go into stasis lock...and here it would mean death.

Why did that bother her? She wrestled inside herself on the subject. He was the enemy; he had tried to kill her with his null ray… when she was organic! And many other times since but why was she troubled he might go offline..? “Gah!” she growled as she punched a piece of scrap metal into the ground. Standing she focused her sensors on the Energon trail on the ground and took off as fast as her pedes could carry her. She knew they were in a war, kill or be killed. Although Optimus tended to lean toward mercy, was it that ideal she was clinging to? Was that why the idea of him bleeding to death troubled her so much?

The more she thought of the subject the faster she ran. Out of frustration or obligation, she didn’t know but all she could focus on was finding him. Whether it to find him struggling to live or his corpse she had to find him. The tugging in her chest got stronger the faster she ran so she decided to trust it and ran as fast as she could.   
From the clearing, she came upon some brush…or at least it seemed like it. Wasn’t the “trees” she went through before and could easily power through the bushes. The trail got even more ragged and uneven as she followed it. The droplets of fluid, more sparse and thin as she went along, made her almost panic. He was running out of Energon for sure and still going somehow.

The trial differed suddenly and she screeched to a halt. It looked as he had fallen for a time and got back up and from the impression in the ground had used a fallen piece of flora to get up and take it with him. There was a small puddle of fluid on the ground, part Energon, part coolant. She dipped her servo in, raised it to her nose and took a good sniff. Yup, it was him alright. Taking a deep breath she narrowed in on his direction and darted toward another clearing. It was like tundra, sandy, rocky, not much vegetation and open as hell. She ran for a few minutes and stopped to scan and again sample the air.

The acrid scent of old and drying Energon hit her like a hammer and she instantly turned to focus her senses on the source. About a thousand meters away she spotted him, shambling, leaning on some deadfall, trudging in some direction. She took a moment to survey the area. It was wide open with no brush or cover and to a 75-degree angle, it appeared to lead to a cliff…maybe. It was hard to determine from her point of view. She also watched the seeker, shambling, dragging his one leg behind him, muttering to himself. He appeared to not be aware of her presence and argued with himself. Without an actual clear course of action available, she made the most rational move she could… at least in her mind.

“Hey Screamer!” she yelled across the tundra.  
The enfeebled mech froze staring into what looked like nothing until he turned towards her, narrowing in on the source of the sound. The femme froze. She’d seen her share of battlefield injuries but this… his optics alone would cause nightmares. The sight of him made her feel sick and uneasy. It was the equivalent of a human guy with his eyes hanging out of his sockets. “Oh my god!” she rasped, covering her mouth in shock. Her tanks churned as she stared. ‘How is he still standing?’ she wondered. Without thinking she took a few steps toward the wounded seeker.

Starscream felt what was left of his Energon go cold. For a moment he considered the fact he could be hallucinating. His constantly climbing body temperature coupled with Energon depletion could be affecting his already panicked, fevered mind. Then he heard footsteps. Metallic scraping and crunching of….whatever passed for ground cover.

“Starscream…”

The voice again! He hadn’t been hearing things. It was her. She had survived as well and from her calm voice was in far better health then he. Instant panic set in as he awkwardly backed away from the source of the voice and footsteps. ‘I have to getaway! I can’t let her capture me! I’d rather die!’ his processor screamed.

“You won’t take me! I will not be tortured at Autobot hands!” He shrieked as he turned too sharply, dropping his makeshift cane and tripping on it at the same time. He fell, face-first into the soft dirt. Coughing and sputtering he struggled to get upright again. As he did he lurched forward into an awkward gait. Heat warnings intensified as he pushed his frame to its limit in his ruined condition.

The Autobot flyer stopped in her tracks after witnessing the most pitiful display she’d ever seen. She had even winced, as he fell to the ground. She knew he was an opportunistic coward but that scramble was pathetic, embarrassing to watch even. Shaking her head she started forward again, after him. As she got closer she saw just how bad the damage was. He was leaking every fluid imaginable, missing an optic (the other dangling from its socket) part of an arm and one leg mangled. And his wings... Once proud and erect were now just tattered and rendered metal. There was a tightening in her chest. Swallowing hard she couldn’t help but pity him, only able to imagine the pain he was in. Unsure of what to do she stood in place again watching him stagger and weave from side to side. ‘Where does he think he’s going?’ “Moron” she sighed as she continued pursuing him at a leisurely pace.

“Starscream you may as well sit down before you fall down…again!” she called out to him. “I’m not going to hurt you, idiot! What sport would that be?” she tried again to get him to stop. It was embarrassingly painful to watch him frantically scramble to get nowhere…Scanning the area she remembered the cliff and her breath caught in her throat. He was heading straight (kinda) for it!

“Hey! Stop! There’s a cliff! Dammit, Starscream, stop!” yelling after him she set into a sprint. No other choice, as her wings were only 72%. He, couldn’t hear her over his screaming, didn’t believe her or didn’t care. Part of her wondered why she should bother saving him, but the feeling in her chest brushed it aside. She wasn’t a killer and could almost hear Optimus’ voice in her head telling her she’d never live it down if she stayed idle. He had somehow found a second…or third wind. The distance between him and the ledge was closing as he pushed on.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” cursing she willed her body to power her forward, growing almost desperate with every step. “Goddammit, Screamer, Stop!” she tried again to get him to listen. He was only 15 meters from the edge…she was 60. Taking leaping gaits, digging her talons into the ground to gain more leverage she started to gain more ground. It felt like she was only inching closer by millimeters as time seemed to slow down. He was now 5 meters from the edge and her 20. On her last step, she crouched with both legs and sprang forward with the momentum she had gathered…just in time to see him lurching over the edge. Her mind frantic, time seemed even slower as she stretched out her arms to grab…anything of his! In the last instant, she got a hold of his left wrist. Still, in midair, she kicked her feet toward the ground, hoping to anchor in her claws. Success had her slamming into the rocky surface with part of her upper torso slung over the edge, an iron grip on the seeker's wrist. Shaking her head fighting off disorientation, cause that had hurt, she reached with her other arm to grasp his servo and started pulling him up.

“Just let me go….”

A faint rasp made her pause and she looked to his face. Even with no expression of optics, it was clear the Decepticon was done. He made no effort to squirm out of her grasp or to thrash out in attempt the climb up. He hung limply with her over what she now saw was a devastating drop. Even a healthy mech would not survive that distance. Seeing he was in no shape to assist her she starting pulling again.

“Why…would you...” he whispered, gurgling something.

“shut up!’ she screamed at him. “especially if”, grunting she pulled again, “you’re not going to say thank you!” with that she drug him unto solid ground once more, pulling him away from the ledge as she got to her knees. Realizing he was face first in the dirt she rolled him onto his back, carefully, trying to avoid his wings. Sighing she came to realise that maybe he was right. It was bad. As in Ratchet, Perceptor and Wheeljack probably wouldn’t even be able to save him. Here it was just her, with only basic training in normal maintenance, not emergency procedures. Still venting heavily from exertion and lost for words she took his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

The wounded mech turned his head slightly toward her and opened his mouth to speak but instead began violently coughing, spurting Energon from his mouth. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and raised him. After the fit ceased his sockets welled up with lubricant. “You should’ve let me die, let this end...” he gurgled. He probably was right but that didn’t matter now. Without thinking, she wiped away the spilled fluid from his face and placed her hand on his helm. He froze at the touch, half expecting her to sever his relays between his frame and processor. A moment passed as they sat in deafening silence until it was shattered by a crackle of electrical charge. She hadn’t noticed the cloud cover gathering before and now it looked like there was an electrical storm heading their way.

‘Wonderful...’ she sighed inwardly. Looking back to the direction she had come there looked like a cave-like outcropping in the formation of rocks. This may be an alien world but lightning anywhere could be bad news so shelter was now a priority. Facing him in a crouch she heaved his body over her shoulder and stood up. He wailed and groaned from the action in protest. “Suck it up. I’m getting us to shelter”. As she trudged toward the cave it became clear he was heavier than he looked. “Thought you’d be more aluminum and not cast iron, dude” she chided him. A meek huff was the only retort he could offer. ‘Hang on’, she silently prayed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After slacking off after the long wekend I figured I better get my aft in gear and at least update another chapter. with this fic 10 yrs in the making, there's a bit of history involved that I will go through as I go along. this chapter, for instance, has a bit of headcanon of mine regarding transfusion ports and the like. also I know I smashed my oc into the center stage like the kool-aid man through a brick wall. her history will be brought to light as the story goes on, so sorry for the abrupt introduction. also in later chapters, Starscream will have a personality shift, just warning those die-hard g1 fans lol. well I better get back at it. thank you to those who have left kudos and I hope you enjoy this rollercoaster of blatant self-indulgence.

It took about 5 minutes to reach the cave, which was luckily able to fit them both in with enough room to move and stand. She gently placed him reclining against the stone wall. He grunted painfully as she sat him down. She rubbed her shoulder joint realizing the heat he was giving off had made her neck and shoulder very hot.

A loud crack tore through the air as the rain began to shower down. Curious she extended her hand from inside the cave. The liquid didn’t burn her so it wasn’t acid. Cupping her hand she brought it to her nose and gave it a sniff before sampling it with her mouth. It seemed almost identical to H2O on earth so she stepped outside, into the downpour. It served to clean her hair and body a little as well as cooling off her shoulder.

Stepping back into the shelter she turned her attention to Starscream. He was venting heavily but shallowly, barely moving. He needed fluids and fast! Her primary concern was Energon, without it he was a goner. ‘Transfusion!’ she snapped her fingers and readied her port in her forearm. All Cybertronians had this function. It came in handy at times like this. She’d never had to use hers but she’d seen it done in the med bay and in the field. His right arm (or what was left of it) would be useless for this so she crouched to his left side and took his arm…. In horror, she realized his port was damaged. Quickly she opened an access panel beside it. The connection was broken and about a foot of cable was also damaged. She could splice it with some of her own but that would take time. Quickly she opened a panel on her lower leg and with two swipes of her talons cut out enough cable to patch his. Wincing as she pinched off the ends in her leg she went to work removing his damaged piece and attached her own in its place. Taking a closer look at the port her spark sank. This would be trickier, a lot trickier being an intricate and small part.

“Don’t bother….” A familiar whisper rasped. The seeker did his best to incline his head in her direction. “I’m dying…and that’s that.” She stared as he stated the obvious. Yes, he would die if she didn’t try. Would she succeed, probably not, but she had to try. Remembering the flask in her storage she took it out, opened it and poured its contents down his intake before he had a chance to argue. The seeker choked and wheezed as she tossed it aside. Shaking from frustration at his defeatist attitude she grabbed his hand forcefully.

“What kind of Decepticon just gives up?!” she screamed in his face. Normally he would’ve recoiled from the scolding but he just sat there, unmoving. “Some warrior you are!” growling she let go and went back to work. Trying to ignore her surmounting panic she tried to concentrate and not make the damage worse. She found herself fighting back lubricant that was building behind her optics. ‘This is so stupid! Why am I getting this upset? If he’d just shut up and let me work…’ the femme fumed. Taking a breath she paused trying to calm down. Panicking wasn’t going to help anything. During her focus, she failed to notice that the steady flow of Energon from his injuries had begun to subside. It wasn’t until he shivered that she broke from her task and looked at his face. What little lubricant that was left in him began to stream down his face.

“It’s too...late,” giving a weak chuckle he spoke again. “Stasis…lock…imminent” he whimpered trying to grasp her hand. Wide-eyed she reluctantly took his again, this time gently. The sparking from his damaged optics which had been incessant had now become a weak sizzle. Tilting his helm as best he could he mustered a meek grin. “Thank...you...for…trying…” his voice trailed off and he was still. Disbelieving she froze; staring at his frame slumped against the rock wall. A crack of thunder shocked her back to reality and with that, the dam broke and her optics flooded.

“Hey!” she shook his shoulder lightly. When she got no response she grabbed his other one and shook him violently. “C’mon! Wake up! You’re not allowed to give up, you hear me, air commander?! You can’t leave me alone!” Slumping against his rapidly cooling frame she sobbed uncontrollably. Knowing that they were probably the only sentient life on this planet and now she was alone terrified her to the core. He was an enemy. If their roles had been reversed he would’ve let her fall to her death or offlined her on the spot. She couldn’t understand why his death had her so distraught. Whatever the reason she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held his lifeless body.

“Damn you….” She whimpered. “Damn me too! What would the others think if they saw me like this...” she pounded on his pectoral slats a couple of times. As she tried to calm down her spark started to pulse in a rhythm that steadily increased in speed and intensity. Pulling away from Starscream the rhythm slowed down. Curious she inched close again and the rhythm resumed, becoming even more intense. ‘What the fuck..?’ confused, her mind raced to try to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly she was aware of a voice, a strange one, whispering in something like Cybertronian. Staining to understand it she realized she wasn’t in control of her body. Her arms had released his shoulders and were reaching for his face. ‘Stop! What’s…stop!’ she screamed in her mind trying to will herself to stop…whatever it was SHE wasn’t doing. She had taken his face in her hands and was now slowly closing the gap between…their faces! Panicking she struggled to gain control but to no avail. The pulsing was getting stronger as the voice became louder, almost deafening. ‘This is not happening! No way! I am NOT about to…kiss him?! What the hell is this?!’ her mind screamed out trying to communicate with the strange voice that apparently had necrophilic voyeuristic tendencies. As she got closer to him the pulse became a steady throng and everything went white for what seemed like forever.

Eventually, her optics came online again and she blinked realizing she was slumped against his chest plates again. Snapping back to reality she sat upright briskly. ‘What...the …hell...was that?’ venting rapidly she nervously scanned the cave. There wasn’t anyone else there, the storm continued to rage outside the shelter. ‘That voice…and...what? Sleep paralysis...?’ The whole thing had to have been a dream but she didn’t remember going to sleep or passing out. Wondering if anything else had been an illusion she looked toward the seeker's body. Sighing she put her hand on his chest, ‘guess not’. Closing her eyes she was wondering how to bid him farewell when she felt a pulse….a spark pulse…that wasn’t hers!

Scanning him quickly, sure enough, there was an energon signature, a strong one. He was even ventilating slightly, air softly hissing through his slats. Examining his previous injuries most of the areas that had been leaking seemed cauterized, Energon and coolant lines included. In disbelief, she withdrew away from him and scooted a few feet on her aft across the cave floor. Hyperventilating she stared at the scene in front of her…a miracle.

“Okay…okay…okay, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” she assured herself. Whatever had happened she thought better than to question it further. ‘The port!’ she remembered that being a priority before. Scuttling across the cave floor she returned to his left arm. Her splice was still there but the port was still damaged. “I guess if you’re out of the woods, for now, I have the time to fix this” sighing as she settled down to get to work. Suddenly his arm jerked out of her grasp.

“What in the pit?! I’m still blind?! What kind of afterlife is this?!” with gusto the seeker had sprung back to consciousness obviously unaware he was still alive. His optics weren’t sparking anymore but were still non-functional. Gritting his denta he scowled balling his fist. Realizing he still only had one usable one he threw into another fit of rage. “Are you kidding?! I’m still damaged?! I know! This is the pit! This is my punishment! Forever in a ruined useless blind frame!” he wailed and his voice echoed through the cave. He started to sob in self-pity and despair...until he heard laughter. High pitched, riotous, out of breath laughter. “Think this is funny, whoever you are? Well, you’re in the same mess so I’d watch yourself!” he haughtily retorted.

“If you mean in a cave on an unknown alien planet, you got that right!” she exclaimed before doubling over in another bout of laughter. It was part amusement and part relief. Relieved that she wasn’t alone and he wasn’t dead. The how still remained but that could wait. She got up from where she had retreated to after his energetic awakening. Walking over to where he sat she crouched in front of him. “Gonna let me fix that transfusion port before you really need it?” leaning forward slightly waiting for his reply.

“You!” he hissed.

“Knightflyer”

“What?”

“It’s my name, not YOU” she corrected him.

“Pfft” the seeker vented. “Like that matters. What does is…I was dead! Offline! Stasis locked! DEAD! There’s no way I could’ve been revived without emergency equipment!” shaking as reality set upon him he did the only thing he could….he cursed a blue streak in Cybertronian. Some she understood, most she didn’t and was probably thankful for that. Deciding to let him finish his fit she sat back in silence until he fell silent, venting heavily.

“You done?” asked the femme as she came back up to him. All he did was nod his response. “Well I don’t know what happened ‘exactly’ but I say let’s roll with it and do what we can with what we got. If you sit still I’ll get to work on your port, replenish your cooling system then get your eyes working. Deal?” again all she got was a nod so she took that as a cue he’d let her work. “At least you’re not going to go into stasis now. The readings say your levels are almost maxed.” ‘No fucking clue how’.

Taking his arm again she went straight to work. Without the previous pressure of him offlining it was easier than she thought. As intricate as the relays were it was straight forward after examining the part. Giving it a quick test success was confirmed and then she was on to the next item. With the cauterizations made by “?” it made the splicing work simple and organized. The optics we’re trickier… especially since he shrieked with every connection and short. “Stop freaking out!” she scolded. “You didn’t complain when I did the other stuff!”

“This is far more painful and maybe I tolerated the other repairs and now I’m over sensitized!? You really have no clue about our physiology, do you? You’d think by now you would...,” he sneered. He was right. The farther away from the processor it was easier to control sensations of pain etc. With the optics so close in his helm it took far more effort.

“Well, maybe a break is in order than” huffing she rolled back into a cross-legged position. “I know I could use one” she sighed rubbing her own optics. It had been almost 24 hrs since their arrival to this place and she’d gone steady since waking up. It was her turn for energy. She had noticed after the “incident” her Energon levels had been halved. ‘Add that one to the list of mysteries’. Getting up from the ground she dusted herself off and walked to the mouth of the cave. She could see the storm had broken and the rain had ceased. Turning to her unlikely companion, “you should get some recharge, conserve some energy for a bit”. The Decepticon grumbled under his breath but didn’t argue. With a nod in her direction, he laid his head back against the rock wall.

She waited for the sound of his venting to tell her he was unconscious before stepping out of the cave. Knightflyer wanted to avoid him finding out that she could get Energon in a few different ways than normal Cybertronians. Optimus Prime had been doing his damndest to make it so Megatron didn’t learn about her “quirks”. Sicking Starscream on her made it evident the cat was probably out of the bag. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply she took in the freshly ozonized air. It was refreshingly similar to Earth’s after a storm as well as the moist soil and rocks. Trying to extend her senses she took another deep breath…and there it was. Prey!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here comes the tip of the mature rating iceberg lol. you've been warned! muahahaha! I realize the lengths of my chapters are very inconsistent. fun fact: I did a lot of composing in a notebook at my part-time job. I brainstormed when it was slow and didnt have any customers. joys of the one man show! I'm going to try to add a few chapters at a time to make up for the short ones. without further ado, onward down the rabbit hole!

The prey she had found was a large, five-legged…something. Normally she would’ve tried to cook it but in an emergency situation one can’t be picky. A decision she regretting with the taste instantly making her gag but she toughed it out and forced it down. The creature had been by a small stream so she took the opportunity to wash the gore from herself and replenish some fluids as she had given a vast amount to Starscream. She highly doubted he would even appreciate how much of an effort she was making on his behalf but decided not to dwell on it. A signal alerted her that her wings were 100% repaired. Fully charged she took a running start and vaulted into the air. It felt great! The breeze was invigorating and now she could get a better look around. That would have to wait since she didn’t want the seeker to wake with her gone. Instead, she turned in the direction of the cave and sped off.

With flight, it only took her a few minutes to return. She landed a few meters away from the cave, not wanting to disturb her charge. Stepping back inside lightly, she observed him reclining, peacefully ventilating where she left him. Sighing she took a seat across from him and decided to settle in for a snooze too. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, trying to quiet her mind. So many questions had sprung up in the last day or so that she wondered if she’d ever get answers to. Trying to relax she focused on the wind outside, softly caressing the trees and wrapping around rocks and the cave. She took in the wonderful scents of still moist soil and unique vegetation which was almost spicy. Without realizing it she had settled on the soft rhythm of Starscream’s breath. The rhythmic sound of venting soon soothed her into a peaceful slumber.

“Hey!”

The sharp exclamation woke her with a start and she soon found that she had rolled onto her side onto the cave floor. Blinking her optics Knightflyer stretched and started to right herself. Yawning she looked in his direction and found an annoyed Decepticon grimacing toward the wall behind her then to either of his sides. ‘Right he doesn’t see where I am’ sighing she got to her feet made her way toward him.

“Who said you could rest? I’m the injured one here!” justifying his rude behavior, he went to cross his arms only to be reminded… “See! How am I going to ever get even semi-functional with you slacking off!?” he shrieked.

One thing she couldn’t stand was being woken up early, especially by a self-important, entitled blowhard Decepticon. ‘Times like this I miss coffee’ the feme lamented. Standing assertively she set it straight. “If I don’t get rest you don’t get repaired…or Energon! So frag off!”

Starscream froze. He had disturbed Megatron during his recharge cycle before for emergencies but this was different. She had a point. She was his only hope for sight again…and general survival at least. A thought had crossed his mind, ‘What happens when she runs out of Energon?’ she didn’t seem worried about that or she wouldn’t have freely offered her own as well as coolant. ‘Is this why Megatron set me on her?’ he pondered but quickly dismissed his thoughts. Megatron was the least of his problems at the moment.

“..I’m sorry…” he murmured, shocking himself.

“Pardon…?”

Realizing he had actually let those words pass his lips he sighed, “You heard me”. It had been over a millennium since he had said those words in earnest. They seemed strange, alien. Even wrong to him now. Had it really been that long since he could show real remorse or even appreciation for another’s actions? In the Decepticon ranks, there was no mercy, it was kill or be killed, the weak were left behind. That wasn’t who he was before but had to turn cold to survive. A storm of conflict was threatening to crash his processor when he felt a hand on his helm.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Knightflyer said giving the top of his head a quick pat before retracting her hand. She couldn’t recall ever hearing him say those words before and they…seemed sincere. Thrown for a loop that was all she could think to respond with. ‘And the award for the most awkward response to a normal apology goes to!’ she face palmed herself. “All right then,” she started seating herself on his lap, “ready to give this another go?” for a moment he didn’t move then slowly nodded. “Alright, here goes nothing!” she clapped her hands together and went to work sorting out wires and connections.

This time he didn’t notice any pain at all. All his focus was on the femme…straddling his legs! He couldn’t sense any signs of nervousness or embarrassment coming from her. ‘Doesn’t she know about…..’ his mind stammered in disbelief. There was a possibility she might not know any details on interfacing, interface panels, proximity sensors, and erogenous zones… the thought would be absurd if she wasn’t recently an organic turned Cybertronian.

It had been eons since anyone had been this close to him in a non-threatening manner. He worried if she somehow grazed him the wrong but oh so right way he wouldn’t be able to control himself. His frames natural response, that is. He was in no shape at all to perform but he couldn’t help his mind from wandering to the thought of it. Her smooth legs lightly rubbed his thighs as she constantly repositioned herself during her work. Her face was extremely close to his and he couldn’t avoid the delicious vents she gave off as she grunted her frustration with his damaged optic.

He couldn’t believe he was indulging himself this way! It was disgraceful! She was an Autobot! Even if he was in top shape she didn’t deserve the honor of being pounded into submission with his spike! And with that visual running like a freight train through his processor, he was in trouble as she shifted closer fully resting on his interface panel. Sensory alerts went off like claxons through his system and he struggled to ignore and suppress them. Squirming to get a better angle on his optic she drew a whimper from the seeker straining to keep composure. “You ok?” she asked pausing from his slip up. All he could do was stammer, “ Yyess…fine. Continue!” seemingly oblivious she went back to work as he fought to keep his panel from opening as his spike pressurized painfully behind it.

It was maddening! He started to consider just letting the damn thing open, grabbing her with his good arm, locking her on top of him and just frag her while he could...if he could. Again he became aware of her face so close to his, her hot breath inches away. He wondered what her glossa might taste like if he should test it. Gingerly he slowly started leaning forward…until white-hot searing pain screamed through his processor.

“Aggghhh!!” he shrieked shoving her off his lap, grasping his head with his hand. Wincing and…blinking! He could blink! Gradually vision came back as he tried to focus. It was no- where near the clarity he had before but he remembered his other optic was destroyed. ‘Better than nothing’ he reasoned scanning his surroundings finding the femme in the dirt to his side looking concerned.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know that would initiate the activation sequence. I was going to warn you before I did it. That must’ve hurt like a bitch.” She sat rubbing her arm that had a small dent in the forearm. He didn’t realize he had that much frustration built up over the centuries. Most likely the unexpected pain response was the culprit. For a moment when he felt the pain, he thought she realized he was making an advance and was punishing him for it. Luckily the shock made short work of his previous problem so he was saved from embarrassment. He was now able to take in his surroundings. The cave looked like a mineral similar to Earth’s as did the cave floor, with the exception of the substrate. Running his hand over it the stuff sifted through his fingers like powder.

Starscream quickly looked at himself and felt the winning feeling of having sight shrink as he saw his damage. It was almost enough that he wished for her to rip out his optic again. Steeling himself he sat up straight. ‘This won’t do!’ He remembered her words from before. He was a Decepticon! He would never give up! Turning to lock his optic on hers he proclaimed, “Looks like we have work to do!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and another rather short one. for the love of Primus...

Another full day had passed but so far she was only able to get his damaged leg only partially functional. He was able to put weight on it now, however, the bracing made it impossibly stiff to bend at the knee joint. Hobbling around the cave testing out the now usable appendage he sighed, “you sure you did what you could? I find it hard to believe Ratchet would suffer such an inept student.” Back to his normal arrogant self Starscream felt no qualms about insulting her, the earlier scolding evidently forgotten. Coming to the mouth of the cave he gazed out to view his new surroundings.

“Hmmph. How disgustingly organic.” He muttered, obviously unimpressed with the alien landscape. Turning back toward his rescuer he stilled as he saw her scowling from where she sat on the cave floor. ‘Oops,’ he thought, wondering if he would be able to run. The femme sighed as she stood up and stretched, wings scraping the ceiling. A heavy feeling came over him. His own wings were far from functional while her wings seemed to be fine. He must have been staring because she quickly retracted them back behind her body and looked away nervously.

“Look I’m sorry for the shit job, ok? Not like there are any spare parts out here and Ratchet only started to train me in some basics a few months ago so take it or leave it” she stated defending her handiwork. Looking at the ground she shifted her feet as she rubbed the back of her neck. “That being said I have to be honest. I really don’t know what I can do about your wings, Starscream. I mean I can try but…..’’ sighing again she threw her hands in the air and trudged in a circle. “At least I’m giving you fair warning” she shook her finger at him.

Nodding he acknowledged her realistic outlook on the situation. He respected honesty from enemies and comrades alike. The idea of disappointing him further seemed to bother her so instead of starting a fight he chose diplomacy. He gave a shiver at the thought of being grounded…possibly permanently. Never had he been prevented from taking to the skies, the idea terrified him. In an attempt to calm himself he went to grasp his arm and was reminded…again…that there was another issue. He could make do with one arm but it irritated him immensely at the moment. He’d seen Scrapper improvise when one of the Constructicons had lost an appendage in the field. Surely there was something that could be done.

“Don’t fret over my wings for now. Besides I have an arm that needs to be replaced, that should be no problem” he mindlessly stated without even giving her a glance. This was obviously a mistake. Sensing her close he looked up just in time to find her growling face inches from his, fangs bared and all. ‘She has fangs..?’ shaking the poorly timed inquiry aside he tried to balance himself so he didn’t fall over. She had startled him and he tried to step back. Before he had the chance her hand was around his neck squeezing with an iron grip. What shocked him the most was her strength. Her elegant, lithe frame was hiding a powerhouse of fortitude. Since her transformation, they had met in battle before but he had no idea she was this strong.

Optics wide, venting heavily she snarled, “did you just fucking hear what I said about spare parts?! Oh and don’t think for a nanosecond that I’d give you my arm cause ya know, that makes sense!” her voice dripped with sarcasm and rage. The seeker tried to respond, but couldn’t find his voice as she squeezed harder. Doing his best to nod his submission he started prying at her clawed hand around his neck. A moment later he saw the color drain from her optics and a horrified expression replaced the previous sneer. Quickly she let go and stepped back. Starscream staggered to the wall where he fell against it, regaining some balance after the shock. Rubbing his neck he watched her cautiously. She stood staring at the floor, optics wide and vacant, grasping her offending servo.

“I’m…I’m…sorry...I don’t…” stammering between breaths she tried to make sense of what had happened. She was getting exhausted. She had only replenished a day ago but all her energy had been poured into repairing his injuries. She was covered in coolant, Energon, different lubricants, all caked with the fine dirt to her frame. She had already given him another transfusion before getting his leg braced and her own levels were dropping steadily. A simple recharge wouldn’t cut it. She needed to get energy again but that raised a concern. She still had to keep him from finding out all her secrets. Rubbing her temples she looked at him, “Look, I’m sorry for overreacting but I need to get some energy back myself. I need a rest.”

Straightening himself the Decepticon gimped his way over to Knightflyer. She was a mess of fluids and dirt, shoulders slumping, optics dim. A wave of guilt came over him as he realized how much effort she was making for his well-being. Without thinking he extended his arm and put his servo on her shoulder. Lowering his voice he looked at her, “I’m sorry for my …insensitivity”. He stiffened at the words but couldn’t stop them from passing his lips.

This was bad! That was the second time he dropped his guard in front of her (to her knowledge). He quickly withdrew his hand as she snapped up to look in surprise. “Ahem,” he recovered. “Do...what you must. It’s not like we’re in any rush.” Fidgeting he walked to the back of the cave and slowly lowered himself, awkwardly to the floor. Resting his helm against the cave wall he closed off his optic for a second to compose himself. A second later he opened it to see her standing over him with a slight smile on her face. ‘What’s she smiling about?’

“Thank you” she beamed bowing slightly. Situation diffused she decided another outing was in order. “I’m going to go clean up. I know a spot from before. I’ll be back.” She turned to leave the cave but was interrupted.

“What are you going to do about your Energon levels? Surely they’re getting extremely low?” turning back she saw the seeker looking at her with an expression of concern. ‘Dammit!’ she cursed herself for not having a believable lie on hand. Remembering the best lies carry a seed of truth she turned around.

“I can absorb energy through my wings like solar radiation and stuff. If I get outside I can charge up a bit.” Holding her breath she waited for him to question her. Narrowing his optic he considered her response not sure if he could fathom such an ability being on record for their kind.

“Well, isn’t that handy” he stated as he leaned back against the wall closing his optic again. Surprised he didn’t question any further she turned back around to leave the cave, exhaling heavily as she got outside. The solar energy absorption was true, but this place didn’t seem to offer the right spectrum to make much of an impact on her levels. The goal in mind she took to the sky in search of dinner and a bath.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short one, with a little teaser of back story to come to light later.

It took less time to find her prey this time. It was the same weird-looking critter and it was the stream again so that was fortunate. This time she opted for trying to cook the beast ‘hopefully it will taste better’ she prayed. Gathering some deadfall in a pile she used her small wrist laser to ignite the bonfire. Purplish flames sprung up from the pile and roared steadily. Finding a relatively straight branch she skewered the animal and stabbed the wood into the ground just above the flame.

Satisfied she had dinner started she went to the stream and got to work cleaning Starscream’s mess from her body. In no rush this time she laid in the water with her head toward the currant letting the water rinse her hair and work its way through her joints, dislodging dirt and debris. Closing her optics she vented heavily and let herself relax, listening to the sound of the rushing water, the wind through the bowers and the crackling of the fire nearby. Opening her eyes she sat up and drew her knees to her chin. ‘What a mess. Stuck who knows where with a notorious psycho. And I’m even trying to help him get repaired. Not like I’ll get far with that now…’ her mind trailed off, sulking. Again she doubted herself as to why she was trying to do anything for him. The thing that struck her was he had uncharacteristically apologized to her, twice in two days! ‘His processor must be fried’...she mused.

Still curious as to how he had been revived she tried to remember the incident. The pulse, the voice, the light… it was strange but familiar. “No way!” she exclaimed bolting upright. Placing a servo over her chest she whispered “my matrix…” at those words her eyes were clouded over with that light again only this time there were veiled large blue optics gazing at her, the same voice from before speaking a tongue she couldn’t understand. “What do you want? Why am I here? Was it you that helped him?! Please, I don’t understand..!” she pleaded with whatever was before her. The pair of optics shifted to the side causing her to follow its gaze. There was a flash of what looked like herself and Starscream. She was taking a hold of his shoulders; light surged around the pair she was watching. When it subsided he was whole again with her slumping forward.

In an instant, the vision disappeared and she found herself sitting in the stream. Wide-eyed and in shock she sat fixed where she sat. ‘Maybe I’m the one with the fried processor’ she shook her head. A moment passed and the smell of the roasting animal brought her back to reality. Picking herself up she strode to the shore to give her bush tucker a try. Picking up the meal by the limb it was fixed to she took a bite kabob style. Definitely better! Still weird, but palatable at least. She finished it hurriedly before putting out the fire with a few scoops of water. Satisfied she took off into the sky and headed for camp.


	8. Chapter 8

She returned to the cave refreshed, energized and confused. The weird vision she had earlier made no sense and it troubled her. Months ago Optimus had determined she possessed something called the Matrix of Creation. It had only been a myth but after communing with his own Matrix the truth was revealed to him. Its abilities were only speculated and there was no way of knowing how she could use it. It was one of the reasons they wanted its existence kept from the Decepticons and probably the source of her strange abilities. And here she was trapped with one of them with no choice but to use her unique talents for survival. ‘This is getting complicated’ she lamented as she walked into the cave.

Starscream had obviously been pacing after she left. There was a path worn into the dirt of the floor. He was currently in the act when she came into the shelter as he muttered to himself. Startled he stopped and put his hand on his hip. “Took you long enough!” he sneered. He looked tense, shoulders screwed up almost to his audio receptors. She crossed her arms and gave him a warning glare. ‘I don’t have the patience for this’ she thought.

“Charging with the sun takes time. I needed more than I thought” lying through her teeth she walked over to him. Silently she eyed him up taking another look at his damage. It was very clear his patience was wearing thin as well. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to be whole again. Like a bolt of lightning, she had an idea! “Hey wanna go for a flight?” she asked excitedly. Starscream didn’t seem amused.

“Are you trying to be funny? In case you forgot, I can’t fly!” he screamed in her face. ‘Nope, not enough patience for this’ she pinched the bridge of her olfactory sensor.

“Hear me out. I wasn’t thinking clearly before. My shuttle had more bits survive the crash. I might be able to make use of the parts to help you.” Holding her hands out in front of her she waited to see if he caught her drift. Pursing his lips and narrowing his optic he pondered a moment.

“And just how am I to get there? Walking is almost impossible and out of the question.” He countered. She was about to say how when her voice caught in her throat. The idea now seemed absurd but there was no other option. Turning to the side she gestured with her head toward her back. He froze in horror and humiliation at what she implying. “You want me to…ride you?!” he howled. ‘Yup it sounds completely ridiculous’ she sighed.

“Hey don’t make it weird, will ya?” pleading she continued. “It won’t take long to get there from the air. It’s either my back or I could dangle you from my arms but I highly doubt you could handle the stress on your body like that.”

He remained silent for a few moments weighing the options. Yes her proposal had merit, even hope that he might get close to fully repaired. Visualizing how they would look made him shudder with embarrassment. If his trine saw him like that he’d never live it down. Still, the idea of being air born again, even aided, was too seductive to resist. After scratching his chin for a moment he straightened with resolve, “very well. When do we leave?” her eyes lit up as he agreed to the plan.

“Asap!” she exclaimed motioning for him to follow her out of the cave. Shuffling outside he scanned the sky looking for any avian threats. It was a pointless habit at that point with his vision impaired. Extending her wings she crouched in front of him. “All aboard!” she jeered looking over her shoulder. Reluctantly he wrapped his good arm around her neck, just enough to get a good grip. Then he brought his torso close enough to hook his legs around her hips, the bad one jutting out due to the locked joint. He felt his faceplates heat up. He was mortified.

Not wasting time she stood up, grasping his thighs to support him. For a moment she realized how intimately close they were, pressed against each other. She could feel his spark chamber pulse against her back, His warm body radiating between her wings. It was nice, too nice! She felt her face warm up from the thought of holding him more but in a different position…

“Am I too heavy?” he asked, his breath disturbing her hair. Gulping she shook the visual out of her head.

“Nope…just getting ready! You good?” she giggled nervously. She felt him nod. “Alright, Here we go!” and with that, she took a running start before launching the two of them into the air. The force of her take off startled him and he tightened his grip. As they climbed she wobbled a little compensating for his weight. “Stop squirming, will ya?” she barked at him.

“If you knew how to fly I wouldn’t need to!” he bit back. Screwing his optic shut he held on for dear life. If he lost his grip he’d fall to his doom. He couldn’t count on her to catch him if he fell. The seeker concentrated on gripping her hips as tight as he could. That was a bad idea. The more he focused the more aware of how close she was…again! His body sensing her heat drew his mind to those damming thoughts from the other day. As maddening as her hair assaulting his face was it also brought her scent to his olfactory. He felt warmth creeping to his interface plating again and groaned. ‘Not again!’ he whined to himself. It was bad enough he was in this humiliating position but now his frame was betraying him.

Looking over her shoulder she saw his optic was offline and her hair was mercilessly splaying around his face. As she leveled off above the trees she grasped the locks with one hand and brought the bundle tight to her chest. “Hey, not going to take in the view?” she called to him. Snapping out of his reverie he snapped his optic open and found she had secured her hair away from his face.

Thankful for the annoyance gone he looked forward seeing a distant horizon…and clouds! Looking down he saw the tree cover speeding past them, varying colors of vegetation and landscape passing by. Easing off of her neck he sat up slightly, trying not to throw her off. Her course stable, he sat up to a 90 degree and drank in the feeling of the wind against his frame and face. Sighing in relief a smile crept over his lips as he closed his optic again. Knightflyer looked over her shoulder in time to see a look of serene contentment on his face. She smiled openly, glad to see him relax for even a moment.

“Hey you might want to hold on again,” she warned him. Annoyed to be snapped out of his moment he grunted as he reached around her neck again. Just as he applied pressure to his legs again she suddenly tilted into a wide spin, spiraling through the air towards the clouds above. In shock, he couldn’t close his optic out of fear and gripped her tighter.

"Wh…at are you doing?!” he screamed. She leveled out as she climbed higher. As they broke through the clouds she soared into a 90-degree climb as she gained speed. Sending more power to her thrusters she changed angle sending them into a barrel roll. The seeker tried to scream but could only tighten his grasp as he panicked. Descending below the clouds she settled into a more comfortable angle as she slowly descended. She saw where the wreckage of her ship was and banked slightly towards it. Starscream remained silent, latched onto her back, his fuel pump pounding between her wing joints. Powering down her thrusters as she landed she grabbed his thighs again to stabilize them as she landed with a slight jog.

“Well, that was fun! How was that for flying?” she asked looking over her shoulder. Still in a death grip, the seeker stared at her in complete horror, unmoving. Deflated she softened her gaze, “sorry I thought you’d appreciate it” she offered as she crouched, hinting it was time to get off. It took a moment for him to unlock his arm from her neck and release his legs. With a couple of shaky steps, he collapsed to the ground, trembling and venting heavily. Concerned she knelt beside him.

“Maybe I overdid it. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stress you out, Starscream.” She soothed putting a hand on his shoulder. His trembling increased as a strange sound starting to come from him. As it got louder she realized it was laughter. Starscream threw his head back, lubricant streaming from his sockets, as he let out the most crazed laugh she had ever heard. Stepping back she wondered if he’d actually shot his bolt. As the laughter subsided he wiped away the fluid, a strange smile on his face. He hadn’t been that terrified in centuries.

“That…brings me back!” he gasped trying to calm his ventilation. Looking up at her the smile was still there. “Thank you...I mean it” he extended his servo towards hers. Still in shock from what she just saw she gently took his hand and he gave it a solid shake. They locked optics for what seemed like forever until she realized she was still holding his hand, still partially trembling. Snapping herself out of her stupor she gave it a good yank coaxing him to his feet.

“Free rides over. Come help me sift through this mess. You’d probably have a better idea of what parts would be compatible.” She hurried ahead of him, avoiding his gaze. Her face was heating up again and she would be dammed if she let him see it. She headed over to one pile and knelt to dig through it. Looking over her shoulder he had already done the same, scanning various parts while making a pile of possible replacements. She felt a tightening in her chest watching him work. She had seen a side of the dreaded air commander she’d never seen and was extremely conflicted. Her reaction to his touch also had her confused. Forcing that aside she set at the task at hand.


	9. Chapter 9

They worked individually in relative silence for the next 4 hours. Searching through debris and mangled fuselage. Due to his limited carrying capacity, she automatically gathered anything he made into a pile and set it with whatever she had gathered. Whatever star that passed for a sun was starting to set. Knowing his sight wasn’t the best at the moment she gathered some deadfall and fashioned a bonfire. He raised a brow ridge at her ingenuity. She spread out what they had gathered close to the fire and they sat in silence, staring at the mess. 

“Worthless...” his voice was low and foreboding. He clenched his hand and slammed it into the ground. There really hadn’t been much left that wasn’t completely ruined from the crash and what was there needed fabricating. Without any manufacturing equipment, it was impossible. “None of it is useful! I’m doomed to be grounded and in shambles!” he gritted his denta fighting back tears of frustration.

Knightflyer sat beside him, eyes down, not knowing what to say. She had actual belief this might yield something positive but ultimately her lack of medical training tossed hope to the winds. Glancing towards him she saw him grasp a piece of the wreckage, crushing it in his grip as he tossed it into the night in a rage. ‘What did I think would happen? That there would be exactly the right materials here to miraculously fix him? I’m such an idiot!’ she scolded herself drawing her knees to her chest. Getting to his feet he stomped around the bonfire, kicking up the soil with his gimped leg, flailing his arm in the air cursing in Cybertronian.

“I wouldn’t be in this condition if it wasn’t for you!” he growled. “It’s Megatron’s fault too! If he hadn’t ordered me to risk life and limb to capture someone so useless…it’s beyond me!” He continued his fit as he glared at her, seeing an utterly hurt expression. She stared at him, shaking where she sat. He had hit her hard with that one. The hurt turned to anger and she sprang to her feet. She snarled, baring her fangs again which reminded him of an earlier encounter. Defensively he stood tall and planted himself where he stood. “Really? What’s so special about you? I mean, you’re just a freak who used to be organic, for slag's sake!” he was so angry, frustrated and scared he lashed out mercilessly.

She continued to stare him down, shaking and growling. He paused as lubricant streamed down her face. Pulling her lips over her teeth and balling her fists she turned her head to the ground, her hair spilling over obstructing her face. Something in Starscream broke. He had berated many in his career with the Decepticons but none of them made him feel a tinge of guilt. ‘Figures now would be the time’ he sighed to himself. Drained of his bluster he reached out tentatively for her only to have his arm violently slapped away.

“You think I wanted this? Do you think I wanted to find out just how much of a freak I am? To find out I was supposed to be like you? Was supposed to take a protoform a millennia ago but for some reason, my spark wanted to go on a joyride through the cosmos? And then to get stuck in a human body and forget everything?! No, I fucking didn’t! And now I’m in a body I can’t control or understand what it does on its own…and this…thing that’s part of me! You can’t possibly understand! And you have the nerve to insult me…the only one who’s here trying to help?!” hyperventilating she collapsed to her knees sobbing uncontrollably.

The Decepticon was at a loss. What he just heard was the closest thing to an explanation for her existence but it made no sense. At least the abridged version she had vomited up in anger and despair. Without thinking he got down in front of her and warily brushed her hair away from her fluid stained face. “I’m sorry…I...truly am” he paused. The words didn’t feel alien this time. He truly felt sorry for her. He tried to imagine what it was like for her surrounded by comrades that didn’t truly understand her. In a way, he didn’t need to. He was the only one who wanted a change in leadership as Megatron’s rule became tyrannical and off course. She froze for a second as he touched her face, just before she threw herself into him wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. Her sobbing continued as he froze, stunned at what she had done. Slowly he brought his arm around her shoulders and rested his helm on top of hers, holding her tightly.

“When you…died before…I cried too” she choked between sobs.” I didn’t want to be here alone…when you were gone...I was so scared…then something happened...” she trailed off as she tried to calm down. He remained still, holding her firm. “I don’t know what it was…but after you were alive…I wanted to keep it that way…I’m sorry I can’t fix you...” she whimpered into his chest.

“I had no idea what you must’ve been going through. If I had…” he couldn’t complete the sentence. ‘What would I have done?’ He couldn’t even answer himself. This whole experience had thrown him for more loops than his entire life of flying. Here he was in an embrace with someone who was supposed to be his enemy, offering comfort after hurting her severely. She was right. She was the only one here and was trying her damndest to help him. As inexperienced as she was definitely giving her all to live up to the Autobot standard. High praise indeed if it came from another, and not a Decepticon. Releasing her he reached for her chin and coaxed her head up to face him. Through narrowed, wet optics she shyly looked back. With his thumb, he wiped away some of the mess. Her breath hitched at his gentle touch and…soft smile? Confusion clouded her mind as she heard a faint voice calling...familiar…

She started to panic as she found her arms moving, again on their own. ‘Oh, god! Not again! What are you making me do?!’ she tried to scream as the smile disappeared from the seeker's face. At first, it was confusion, then annoyance then fear. She had taken a hold of his shoulders, a grip he apparently couldn’t break as she saw him struggling. The voice drowned out his screams as he mouthed pleas of help and release. As the light began to ebb in she saw in her peripheral the pieces of scrap were lifting off the ground. ‘What now?!’ she thought before the light blinded her into oblivion.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if youve made it this far gratz on sticking with me through this weirdness. honestly "what the hell have I done?" has gone through my head more times then I can count. lol.

Starscream slowly came to consciousness as daylight ebbed through the trees. His processor was clouded trying to recall what had happened. With a start, his optics on lined. Blinking for a moment he realized his vision was crystal clear...yes he had both optics again. And in perfect working order! Scrambling to sit up he found both arms intact, flexing the one that had been previously severed. Gazing down his frame he found two perfect legs below him. Springing to his feet effortlessly he gauged the range of motion. Pausing he concentrated on his spinal plates and flexing a perfect set of wings, he cheered with joy. An abrupt memory of what had happened earlier made him still himself. ‘What the hell happened?’ he wondered gazing at his renewed body.

A metallic glint caught his eye and that’s when he saw Knightflyer, on her side, unmoving on the ground. For a moment he hesitated, recalling her acting as though possessed earlier. Shaking his head he dove beside her and picked her upper torso from the ground and cradled her with his right arm. With his left, he brushed her hair away from her face. She was alive but unconscious. Her steady venting told him she wasn’t in distress. Looking around there was no sight of whatever caused the intense light earlier…and the collection of scrap was missing! 

“Where did it go?” he scratched his helm, pondering. Looking at the femme in his arms he had a feeling his recovery was thanks to her, although he didn’t know how it could be possible. Crouching he looped his other arm under her knees and hoisted her off the ground. He carried her to a large piece of her shuttle that could serve as a bench. Setting her down carefully, his servo lingered on her forehead. ‘Assess her, you idiot!’ he scolded himself. Activating his scanners he found she was uninjured but was very low on Energon. Recalling her description of her wings absorbing solar rays he scratched his chin. ‘We’re outside. Shouldn’t she be charging somewhat?’ thoroughly stumped he checked his own levels. They were maxed to capacity.

“The least I owe you” he breathed as he accessed his transfusion port. He found hers and quickly connected them. With nothing else to do but wait he continued his scans. Her coolant system was optimal, her fuel pump steady and spark pulse was strong….but odd. “I wonder...” he started to reach to access her chest panel just as she stirred. Quickly retracting his servo he steadied himself, leaning closer as her optics flickered to life. “Good morning” he greeted her.

With a gasp, her optics went wide and she tried to bolt up but a strong servo held her fast. “Oh no you don’t!” the seeker keened. It took a moment for her to focus. It was Starscream. He was fully repaired…and transfusing her Energon. “Your levels were dangerously low so I took the liberty” he stated following her gaze to his port. Submitting to his insistence she tried to relax and lay back on the slab. She did feel exhausted and confused. She rubbed her forehead with her free servo.

“Sorry...I don’t know what happened…but...” she trailed off meeting his gaze, “at least you’re whole again” she finished smiling. He smiled back and bowed deeply holding her other hand for a moment. ‘Has to be a dream, has to be a dream….’ She repeated in her processor. Releasing her hand he disconnected their ports and closed hers.

“That should do it for now. Hopefully, your solar absorption can handle the rest...” he half questioned as he closed his port. Stealing a look at her she had both servos covering her face sighing. ‘Hmmmm’ he mused if she had lied about that function earlier. Turning to her again he placed his hand on her helm. In shock, she tore her hands away from her face to see him smiling down at her. It was almost unsettling. This was the most she’d ever seen him smile and it was creepy.

“Get some recharge, you need it. I’ll take this body for a test drive while you rest.” Giving her a wink he strode off. Knightflyer watched him elegantly glide across the ground, his effortless grace made her envious. Laying back down she stared at the sky, the clouds making their way overhead. ‘What next?’ was the last conscience thought she had as she drifted off.

Starscream had decided to take it in steps testing out his seemingly new frame. Compared to the mess he was before this felt amazing! He tested his ground speed by running full tilt. That seemed to be in order. Next, he tried to transform...problem! He couldn’t engage his cog to initiate transformation. ‘Too much to ask for’ he mused. Anxiously he engaged his thrusters….success! At least he could still fly! Revving his engines he took off like a bullet, the rush of air greeting him. Now he could get a feel for his surroundings properly. He sped off into the atmosphere, spiraling into barrel rolls as he flew.


	11. Chapter 11

The seeker had almost lost track of time during his newfound freedom. The rush of the wind caressing his frame as he sped through the sky was intoxicating. Earlier the thought that he’d never experience this again in his life had him contemplating offlining himself. If not for Energon conservation being a current priority he would’ve continued searching and surveying the alien landscape. At present, he had to rely on his companion for a source of precious energy. Her apparent lack of generating it the way she said she could had him concerned.

He arrived at a mountain range that stretched across the horizon, cascading into the distance. Landing on a foothill he scanned the area for anything that stood out. There were no signs of intelligent life. No buildings, no vehicles, no road systems or signs of industry. His only findings were a wider variety of vegetation, mineral structures and animal activity than the area he had just come from. He wondered what kinds of properties were locked away in those mineral structures. He tried scanning from his position but the readings were minimal, the material was too dense to get a detailed scan. ‘What’s the possibility there’s Energon in there..?’ he mused. He considered investigating but decided it was better to return to the crash site. 

It was almost two hours before he returned from his self-appointed mission, gracefully setting down in the middle of the scattered wreckage. ‘Perfect!’ he congratulated himself, standing tall. Being restored had cleared his mind of despair and self-pity. He was back to his old self again and he felt as though a weight had been lifted from his processor. He strode over to where he had left Knightflyer on the slab of hull material.

Coming up beside her he saw she had shifted onto her side with her helm resting on her forearm, lips partially open, venting softly. In the last couple of days, he noticed somewhat abnormal behaviour for their kind. She tended not to lay straight or still in recharge. Instead, she would shift, rollover, curl up into a ball or even make strange noises. The one noise she told him was a yawn. The first time he heard it was when he was still blind and he had nearly jumped out of his plating.

Taking a seat by her pedes he tried to figure out what he thought of her. She was definitely strong, resourceful, but odd. Her body was also odd. He could still remember their first encounter when she was organic. The mech winced as the vivid memory of blasting her out of the sky flooded his mind. Somehow she had survived his null ray. Her Cybertronian form was an almost exact replica, down to her delicate-looking wings, flowing hair, deadly talons and almost seamless curves. “Beautiful” he sighed. She would’ve been a sought after seeker for sure during the early days of his world. He still didn’t know how she had come to this form, seemingly overnight. He had a vague memory of her breakdown before they were rendered unconscious and couldn’t make sense of what she had tried to tell him.

Activating his scanner he checked her Energon levels….unchanged since he had departed after giving her a transfusion. ‘This makes no sense’ narrowing his optics, he looked to the sky. This planet's sun was overhead and he could detect varying forms of radiation emanating from it. The past two times she had left to get her Energon replenished she’d been gone and back in a lot less time than this and was noticeably energized. He became nervous at the possibility that Energon may be an actual problem, not just for him but her. Without a way to refine an energy source into energon the situation could take a nose dive quickly. Leaning closer to her he examined her face as she vented peacefully. ‘Now what are you hiding from me?’ he thought to himself, waiting for her to wake up.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and let the character development commence! remember what I said about a shift in personality...

She was floating in a cloud of blue mist, warm familiar light coming from everywhere. She heard faint voices but couldn’t make out they were saying or how many there were. “Where am I? What do you want? I don’t understand!” she tried to call out but her voice seemed to fade to a whisper. Confused and scared Knightflyer tried to fly in any direction but felt like she got nowhere. “Please..! What’s...What’s happening to me?!?” she sobbed in frustration.

“Child of Primus, do not fear” a strong but gentle voice surrounded her, causing her to still for a moment. Slowly a pair of large blue optics materialized in front of her. Gasping she tried to back away but was frozen in place. They were familiar, from the vision she had in the stream. Through the mist, she could make out a vague shape of a mech's face, featureless through the fog. She tried to speak but couldn’t find her voice, partially from terror, and also awe. A pulsing in her chest begun and she wrapped her arms herself. It wasn’t painful but strange and unnerving.

“All is as it should be” the voice boomed. “Always remember the Creation Matrix is part of you and you of it. The power has always been yours. Use it wisely, child.” the Image diffused into the mist and was replaced with a familiar scene. It was her vision of her and Starscream from the river. She was grasping him, not letting him go but this time she saw his terror and attempts to free himself. She saw the scrap from before levitating as a light consumed it and the seeker. As it faded the materials were gone and he was standing whole again. When the energy faded she watched them both collapse to the ground. The vision faded and once again she was alone in the mist. Shock, terror, confusion, and frustration raced in her spark. ‘My god! It was me..?’ in disbelief she tried to make sense of it all. Soon she felt the atmosphere turn heavy and sensed she was falling. Screaming she flailed as she fell into nothing.

The shock of the end of the experience had caused her to knock her out of recharge violently, bolting upright, arms flailing…..striking her head against something hard. Rubbing her helm she slowly onlined her optics, squinting from the pain. 

“Frag!” came a voice to her left. Looking down she found Starscream flat on his aft, clutching his head with both hands. If she wasn’t still in shock from before she would’ve laughed at the sight. Tilting his head to look at her he gave a half scowl as he rubbed his forehead with one servo. “I’d say good morning, but...” he muttered, optics narrowed. She was shaking, venting raggedly as she stared at him on the ground. Softening his gaze he dropped his arm and got back to his feet. She had a concerning look as he stepped closer, her breath hitching. He leaned in a little to look at her. “Are you alright?” he asked trying to analyze her vitals discreetly. Her spark pulse was going insane and her fuel pump was in overdrive.

“Ya...yeah! Just had a dream….a nightmare..?” she stammered trying to organize her thoughts after the disorientating experience. Her head was pounding and she felt dizzy. Probably from the dream and the unexpected head butt she had given Starscream. Putting her hand on her chest plate she tried to calm down her venting and fuel pump. She turned to sit up with her feet on the ground, bracing herself on her thighs with her elbows. ‘What am I supposed to do? Was that just a dream or..?’ she slapped her face with both of her hands twice. The seeker gave her a worried look but said nothing. Instead, he took a seat beside her, gazing in front of himself at nothing in particular. He wanted to ask her a lot of questions but chose to let her get more stable first.

“So….back to normal?” she quietly inquired.

“Appear to be...”

“Wings work?”

“Yes”

“Alt mode?”

“Not so much...” he trailed off, almost embarrassed.

“Huh. Bummer...”

“Indeed”

They sat in relative silence after their awkward exchange. Knightflyer staring at the dirt under her feet Starscream vacantly in front of himself. She grew even more nervous with every passing second. She knew he’d be able to tell, if not already, her solar trick wasn’t working. She wasn’t in any way ready to try to explain her “dining” habits to him. Especially after the dream she just had and was still trying to decipher its meaning. Struggling to figure out what to say to him she feared him starting the conversation with her having to answer. Finally, she found her voice.

“So” / “so”

They had both spoke at the same time and now looked at each other awkwardly. ‘Great. He’s gonna want to go first. This is Starscream, after all’ she sighed in defeat.

“You…you first!” the seeker quickly offered. The femme stared at him, wondering if this was actually the air commander she learned to hate. He was behaving oddly before but she had chalked it up to being injured and scared. Nodding her thanks she had to remember what she was going to say.

“I was just wondering how far you went? See anything interesting?” she asked. “I never went too far after I found you...” trailing off she looked at him awaiting his story.

“I found a mountain range about a hours flight to the north. No sign of any intelligent life but there are many different mineral structures that might be worth looking at. Perhaps we’ll find some Energon..?” Lifting a brow ridge his optics seemed to be hinting something different. ‘Shit! He noticed! He had to have! Think! Think! Distraction...’ Tapping her thigh compartment she remembered the beacon. Eureka!

“Mountains?!” she shouted at him, her voice almost cracking from nerves. Opening her compartment she produced the emergency beacon. “I almost forgot. This is from my crash. It's only short-range but maybe if we find a high enough peak we might get somewhere with it. It has a scanning feature to so we might be able to figure out if were close to...anything!” she excitedly handed it over to him, beaming. ‘Out of the woods’, she praised herself. He held the device examining it a bit before looking back at her with an annoyed expression. ‘Uh oh’, he gripped it so tightly, she worried he might break it.

“You had this the whole time...?!” he snarled. “You could’ve used it to get help! We could’ve been rescued by now or figured out where we are!” abruptly he stood and faced away from her. Normally his temper didn’t faze him and he let it fly into whoever got in its way. Something told him he should try to restrain himself this time. He definitely wasn’t himself lately and he didn’t know how he felt about that. Before he had reasoned it was from his weakness and injury. He sensed the femme get up from behind him. He felt her talons grip his shoulder and in an instant, she had spun him around to face her. 

“I’m sorry it slipped my mind...I was a little busy taking care of you, you ungrateful bastard!” she barked back, making the seeker try to take a step back. The snarl disappeared from his face and was replaced with a nervous twitch under his right optic. Sighing she dropped her arm, looking down at the device in his hand. “I think before we consider using it there’s another issue. One that needs to be sorted before either of us is rescued...” she trailed off looking him in the optics.

Shocked he hadn’t thought of it himself until now he had to pause. She was right. Their escape depended greatly on whose party might arrive first. If the Autobots showed Starscream would be imprisoned, questioned, and tried for his crimes during this hideously long war. Although Optimus was merciful he knew some of the others might not be. On the other hand, if Megatron found him Knightflyer would be captured, imprisoned, questioned, tortured, experimented upon…and who knew what else… for some reason that thought troubled him more than getting sent to prison. She had saved his life and he knew in his spark she disserved more than that grim fate. They needed a plan.

“You’re right. We need a plan before we try it. I think I may have a plan if you’re willing to hear me out?” he offered the beacon back to her. Cautiously she took it and nodded. “I propose we work together to survive while we’re stranded here. Two are stronger than one, after all” he began his speech. “Should we set it and one of the other faction shows up we deny any knowledge of each other and leave with one’s party.” Knightflyer crossed her arms, giving him a doubtful look. “Once the escapee reaches any range to communicate with the opposing faction they send an encrypted message informing of the whereabouts of the other …anonymously of course.” Her expression softened thinking it over.

“Well that’s probably our only option...” she said out loud. He almost smiled at her response. “Well that’s that then, isn’t it?” Uncrossing her arms she stood tall in front of him and extended a servo towards him, “truce?” Relieved she had agreed he eagerly took her hand in agreeance. ‘Well, that’s one problem out of the way’ she was saddened a little that it took this kind of situation to get an Autobot and a Decepticon on the same page. And Starscream, of all bots!

“So I guess now would be a good time to address the Energon issue.” The femme’s fuel pump stopped in horror as she was startled out of her musings. She had almost forgotten about the question she wanted to avoid and now it was clear it was impossible. Eyes wide she stared at him, waiting for him to continue. The seeker took a step closer to her, getting so close she could feel the heat from his frame. She suppressed a shudder from anticipation…and arousal? ‘Oh, god! Don’t think that way!’ she scorned herself for even letting the feeling surface. ‘This isn’t the time, and it’s HIM for fuck's sake!’ His expression wasn’t of anger or annoyance but concern. He tiled his helm, “why haven’t you been able to regenerate your energy yet? You’ve been outside now longer than before… are your panels malfunctioning?” leaning closer to her he made himself imposing by putting his servos on hips. As he towered over her she felt trapped, his wings casting a broad shadow over her. 

“Alright! Alright!” she threw her hands up and backed away from him a little. “You’re right, my wings aren’t working. Normally they can use solar energy to replenish mine. I think the spectrum here is different or not strong enough...it’s not working.” She decided she’d admit that but not go into any details on where she actually got it from. Recalling the time her comrades learned of her newfound ability made her wince. Between the sounds of retching and faces frozen in mortified disgust that had been a horrible, embarrassing day. Crossing his arms Starscream waited for the explanation.

“Ok, well… where do you get it from?” for a moment he wondered if she had a secret stash of Energon somewhere. He hadn’t detected any with his scans and wasn’t able to locate even any raw stuff. She seemed on edge as he asked his questions. They had a truce established, so why wouldn’t she trust him with the truth. ‘Oh yeah…who would trust a Decepticon?’ his spark sank a little as he came to that realization. Whatever it was it seemed she feared his reaction. “You can tell me, I won’t be upset” he tried to coax it out of her.  
“Trust me, you REALLY don’t wanna know.” She tried to look as serious as she could while never breaking eye contact. If they were going to fly to the mountains he found she needed to fuel up but now she had this to deal with. “I need to go get some ...energy before we go to set this beacon” presenting it back to him she gave him a stern look. “I want you to promise me you won’t follow me! I’ll only be gone for a little while but I will come right back, you hear?” again she didn’t break his stare. Questioningly he looked at the beacon, slowly taking it from her he nodded. “Promise...?” she said insistently. Again all she got was a nod.” Ok, I’ll be right back. Stay!” and with that, she took off in a cloud of dust as she flew as fast as she could to her hunting grounds.

The seeker stood in place conflicted as to what he should do. He had promised he wouldn’t follow her. Their alliance depended on trust. By that same token, she didn’t trust him with the information and seemed determined not to divulge. The warrior in him wanted to stay true to a pact of honor. The scientist in him, however, was getting maddeningly curious.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess he never heard that curiosity killed the cat. lol

She flew as fast as she could over the treetops, heading to the stream. Even though he had promised not to snoop she still felt she had to hurry to in case he fell back on his word. ‘Actually he didn’t use any...’ she realized, causing her Energon to go cold. She realized her rushing like a kid trying to hide the evidence of getting into her parent's cigarettes was childish but she couldn’t help it. She’d never made her comrades witness or be made aware when she “ate” so she didn’t think it was a good idea with Starscream. Lost in thought she almost missed one of the lumbering beasts below the tree line. Swooping through the branches she snatched it up along with some tinder as she sped for her spot.

Coming in hot she skidded to a stop and quickly set up her spit and jumped into the stream to wash off the evidence. Taking a moment to calm down a little she splashed her face with the cold water, sighing. “This is pathetic!” she groaned into her cupped hands. It had only been a few minutes since she had placed it on the fire but she decided she was going to scarf the thing down just in case. Swiftly grabbing the “kabbobed” critter she took a huge bite….and instantly regretted it. It wasn’t even half done and the texture was even worse than raw or fully cooked. ‘Note to self: next time have some patience!’ fighting a gag she decided it was "go big or go home." This time not trying to pick it clean she chomped it bones and all. A mistake also as whatever marrow was inside squished out and made the whole thing worse. Trying to distract herself she focused on chewing as fast as she could and swallowing quickly before the next bite.

It was working. So well, in fact, she didn’t notice a seeker approaching her before she had taken the next big bite. Looking up she saw him. Standing mouth agape, wings sagging, faceplates almost an ashen grey. Instead of chewing she opted to swallow the chunk whole with a forceful, sickening noise. Sheepishly she looked him in the eyes, smiled and raised her hands in a “what?” gesture. After the swallow, his jaw dropped even more as did his wings. She could’ve sworn his face even went white for a second. He shakily lifted his arm and began pointing at her with a twitching finger.

“Did you…is that…my...Energon…from..?” he tried to form a full sentence but was rendered dumb. All she could manage herself was a slight nod of confirmation. His arm dropped, optics dimmed as he doubled over, covered his mouth and began violently retching. She winced at the display. She was trying to spare him this by keeping it secret but now the cat was out of the bag. She could hear the groan of his tanks trying to purge themselves but he seemed to be winning over his initial revulsion. Gagging fit seemingly over, he rested on his knees, heavily venting.

“Now you see why I didn’t tell you?” she stated wiping her chin of the horrendous marrow. Setting down the carcass she got to her feet and took a step towards him. His head snapped up to look at her in terror and disgust. “And I seem to remember you promised me you wouldn’t follow...” placing her hands on her hips she stared him down.

“Hello! Decepticon! What are those Autobots teaching you about trusting one of us?!” as truthful as it was the statement burned on his lips. They had made an accord to survive together and trust that if one were rescued the other wouldn’t be left alone to die. Dropping his eyes he looked around the area. There was evidence of previous times she had come out here. Old scorched patches on the rocky river bed, bones picked clean (which made him shudder) and trees missing branches.

“You know this was a lot of energy you wasted, hiding this.” He softened his expression and looked back at her. “When I was blind you could’ve done it in the cave and I wouldn’t have known.” At first, she seemed to take it as he was belittling her, trying to add insult to injury at him discovering the truth. “If you had explained it then I would have let it be. I mean it’s not like I'm the one that’s digesting that...” he pointed to the corpse on the ground. He couldn’t finish the sentence without risking another fit and he’d already made the situation worse with his outburst.

“Well, how was I supposed to know?” Knightflyer blurted out, exasperated. “Especially since that little episode of yours was what I wanted to avoid.” She shuffled back to the bonfire, setting the spit again so she could actually cook it through. ‘No rush now …’ she sighed. Facing the pit she pulled her knees under her chin, watching the purple flames dance.

“You should’ve seen Ratchet’s face when he found out. I thought he would be the one to end up on a med table, not me.” Facing Starscream for a moment she looked into his optics which were now normal size but now on a worried face. “I hid it from them too, until I couldn’t anymore. I was worried about how they’d react and I was right. Ratchet and Optimus got used to it but some of the others… not so much.” Turning back to the fire she wrapped her arms around her legs tight. “There I was finally where I was supposed to belong and then suddenly I am even more of a freak than when I was organic.” Sighing she buried her face in her arms.

Starscream was at a loss again. She wasn’t sobbing this time but the sight of her after she gave him the reason why she hid this made him feel like slag. Picking himself off the ground he strode over and sat a respectable distance beside her. He took his time deciding what he should say, trying not to repeat the same mistake as before. “Does Ratchet... have an idea why you’re able to... do this without damaging yourself?” he carefully inquired.

She just shrugged and kept watching the fire for a moment or two. “They kind of think it has to do with what I was before and how I changed to this but there’s no actual scientific proof...or whatever.” Starscream just nodded silently and turned his attention to the fire. The color intrigued him. It’s nature likely due to the chemical composition of the dried-out tree matter reacting in a combusted state.

After a time she reached for the spit checking the state of the flesh on it. Finding it satisfactory she was about to dig in when she remembered she had company. “You know you don’t have to...you know...see this...” she said offering a chance for him to excuse himself.

“I won’t,” was all he said but didn’t move. So she quietly went about eating her meal while the seeker sat gazing at the dancing flames.


	14. Chapter 14

After the preverbal cat was let out of the bag both castaways were exhausted. Knightflyer from the stress of hiding her secret from Starscream, and him from the shock and mental trauma of learning it. After she had finished she gave him a transfusion before they planned to head for the mountains. Surprisingly after his reaction to her dirty secret, he wasn’t apprehensive about offering her his port and did so without complaint.

Both agreed a quick recharge was in order before their journey. Settling against the embankment the seeker leaned against the rocky slope and offlined his optics. Knightflyer chose a low sturdy branch of a tree just above the mech and curled up on her side. She gazed toward the sky above the tree line. The sun was at its highest peak making it about midday or at least the equivalent on this planet. After the day she had, it didn’t take much for the sound of the gentle stream to lull her asleep.

Starscream was the first to stir. On lining his optics he saw the sun was setting behind the trees, casting shadows through the strange forest. His keen eyes had no trouble adjusting to the dimming light. With no discernable threats thus far the idea of traveling at night didn’t concern him. As he went to get up he noticed a weight across his legs. Looking down he froze in confusion. Somehow Knightflyer had ended up beside him but had her head in his lap, facing his cockpit. Alternating between staring at her and looking to the limb she had perched on he became more confused. Recalling her strange recharge habits it wouldn’t be impossible to assume she had squirmed her way off the branch. ‘How did the fall not disturb her? Or me for that matter?’ he asked himself.

Focusing on trying to figure out what caused this weird scene he was startled when she stretched, her arm wrapped around his thigh, grazing his interface panel. ‘Are you kidding me?!’ he stared wide-eyed and dumbfounded. ‘No! I was right before! This IS the pit! I’m being punished by being tormented by this ridiculously naïve female!’ As she squirmed again her face got even closer to his body and could feel pressure building behind his panel. Struggling to keep his composure he felt he would go insane if he didn’t do something...fast!

Steeling himself he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, hoping to rouse her. Trying it a couple of times proved useless. Beginning to get anxious he gave her a shake, perhaps a little harder than he intended but it did the trick. She opened her optics slowly, still half asleep. As they adjusted it took a moment for her to realize her head wasn’t on a tree branch but on Starscream’s lap...extremely close to his cockpit.

“Gahh!”She screamed as she scrambled to get off him but found her arm pinned under his leg. In full panic mode, she tried to yank her arm free and in the process slammed her elbow right into his groin. Now the mech was flailing to get up and away from the frantic femme. He managed to stand up, staggered a few feet and then collapsed to his knees. Her inertia from pulling had sent her backwards flat on her aft. The pair sat mortified, both venting heavily.

“What…the…fuck?!” she stammered between breaths.

“My sentiments exactly!” the seeker shrieked back. “What were you doing in my lap?” he snarled, looking back at her.

“I don’t know! I was going to ask you!”

With the pressure finally subsiding he stood up and turned to her. “You mean you have no idea how you ended up….cuddling my leg????!” the word itself tasted wrong, even dirty as it left his lips. The sound of it must have too since Knightflyer started shuddering and shaking her head vigorously, denying all knowledge. Looking at the limb she had been sleeping on it was intact. ‘There’s no way...’ she thought until she saw a patch of shattered rocks, about the same length as her, besides where he had rested. “For fuck's sake,” she exclaimed, face-palming herself.

“You fell out of bed, didn’t you?” he coyly pried. Without looking at him she nodded, her eyes screwed shut in humiliation. A chuckle came from his direction which soon turned into a full-on guffaw as he doubled over laughing. “Graceful aren’t we?” he teased before he started choking on another fit of laughter. It really shouldn't be so funny but he hadn’t been reacting normally to anything lately so he wasn’t about to spoil his mirth.

“Oh shut up!” she bit back. Of all people who had to be there when she did something (else) undignified it had to be him. And she had ended up headfirst in his lap, of all places. Groaning she covered her face, hoping this was just another messed up dream. She’d been having a lot lately so why not another to add to the tally of WTF that had been going on lately. It took her a moment before she could look at him. “You done?” she asked.

Composing himself the mech stood up straight with a wry smile still on his lips. “For now. Oh, what I would give to have seen that!” he snorted a couple of times before looking back at her to meet her murderous gaze. “Alright! Alright!” he put up his hands in submission and did his best wipe the smirk of his face. “Besides we should probably be on our way, shouldn’t we?”

“Probably” she agreed as a few of local animals sauntered down the edge of the stream about 50 feet away. “Wonder if I should grab a couple for the road?” she wondered out loud. As she started to get ready to rush the small herd Starscream put one hand up this time catching her attention.

“Fortunately for you, there’s plenty of...game... where we’re headed.” Getting his bearings he faced “north” and looked over his shoulder. “Coming?” she nodded and with that, he launched himself straight up and over the trees and soared into the sky. She watched him take off and marveled at how effortlessly he made it look. She was built for flying too but didn’t have nearly the same amount of practice to do it gracefully. Taking a running start she took off as well and sped after him.

She hadn’t flown here at night before and instantly found she had missed out. There were two faint moons visible through the atmosphere casting reds and greens through the night sky. The stars, though the pattern was foreign, were breathtaking. Patches of fog were rising from the various areas covered in trees and fields. The view alone made the prospect of being stuck there for a while a little more bearable. At least to her.

She soon caught up with Starscream and cruised beside him. Neither of them spoke for a time. She caught a glimpse of him scanning the same scenery and saw the faintest of smiles graze his lips. This made her smile, despite herself. The mech glanced toward her and instead of a scowl, his smile deepened. She felt her faceplates warm up and tried to look away as if she had been looking past him or something.

The seeker grinned, banked and started a slow horizontal spiral. Deciding she wouldn’t be outdone she widened her own wingspan and followed suit. As she matched his speed they became perfectly timed, opposite of each other, they looked like two ribbons twirling in perfect rhythm through the air. Seeing if she’d take the que he leveled off and started ascending towards the clouds. To his amusement it didn’t take her long to saddle up beside him, matching his pitch and angle as he soared through the cloud cover. Sharply he climbed at a 90 which she adjusted to perfectly, mirroring his every adjustment. Steering himself into a barrel roll to descend back below the clouds he watched her keep in perfect formation with him, breaking through the clouds once more and leveling off.

“Not bad,” he praised her. Looking ahead of himself, steering to the direction of the mountains now coming into view, he felt a weight settle in his spark chamber. “You would fit in perfectly with a trine...” his voice trailed off, hoping she hadn’t heard that part. The way things were if there was a rescue, if someone found them, they would never dance through the clouds like this again.

She had heard him and seen the forlorn expression on his face. She knew she shouldn’t read into anything he said. He was known for being manipulative, conniving, and opportunistic. Despite all that, she’d seen and sensed a different side of him here. Maybe it was he had to keep her around to live so he was trying to keep her kind of happy or placated. Maybe he was scared of dying and was trying his damdest to be the one who got rescued and leave her on her own or hand her over to Megatron. The other possibility was maybe finally being somewhere that didn’t have the threat of being set upon by an enemy or ordered to attack someone somewhere every day was allowing him to open up. There were so many possibilities that it made her head hurt. Setting those thoughts aside she decided to focus on his praise of her skills and followed him as he banked sharply to land amongst the mountains they neared.


	15. Chapter 15

They arrived at the cusp of where the mountains began to reach for the clouds. Even though they were on an alien world it seemed so similar to the range on earth it made Knightflyer smile. Below them, there was an expansive valley, riddled with streams and rivers, surrounded by dense vegetation and rocky outcroppings. Starscream had been right about the animal population. She could see groups of various creatures milling about on the ground. ‘Maybe some of those taste better’ she hoped.

“There!” the mech pointed to a peak that almost reached the clouds and motioned for her to follow him. Nodding she veered alongside him as they climbed through the atmosphere. She felt the air pressure get heavier as they neared the peak. Compared to earth that was odd. It was the opposite of what she was used to. Giving her thrusters more power they soon reached the peak and landed on a relatively flat section. Thankfully it was strong enough to support them and just enough room to accommodate their size.

Starscream produced the beacon and anchored it to a solid boulder. As he set the parameters she stood and drank in the view. The wind whipped her hair around and in front of her face so she used one servo to hold it back. Compared to things she’d seen on earth (hers and the one she came to call home) it was as beautiful and wild looking. It made her long to go back where she had friends, a life and a purpose. Even if some of them made fun of her oddities, they had become her family and suddenly she missed them dearly. Because of the gusts of wind, she didn’t notice that her optics tear up and the droplets being sent along with the breeze.

The seeker did. He had set the device in a manner of seconds. He had looked up to her to tell her it was ready to sync to their alerts but couldn’t speak. Against the backdrop of the clouds, the starlit sky, the haunting moons, she was the most lost...and beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her hair thrown about by the wind seemed to personify the turmoil inside of her. From what she’d told him and from what he had surmised…it was fitting. It seemed criminal to interrupt her but this was their mission now and it came first.

“Looks like we're ready!” he blurted out just after he turned his eyes back to the machine. Startled out of her melancholy Knightflyer wiped her optics and crouched beside Starscream. “Because it’s your tech I’ve programmed it to send any alerts on two different bandwidths. The one going to me is encrypted so if the Autobots arrive first they shouldn’t detect it signaling me at all. There’s also a second encryption so that if Decepticon signals are detected it will shut down any signals that could lead them to you. After we turn it on it will scan for anything it can detect. As in anything within range. I believe it should reach close to the sun of this world and possibly a light year. That far of a scan will take time though.”

She was surprised at how much care he took to make sure their deal was secured. It all sounded like this could work… that was if anyone found them. But in the meanwhile, they could gather more data on their present situation. After it was turned on she wondered if anyone came for them…who would it be?

“Care to do the honors?” Starscream motioned to the switch on the base. Giving him a meek smile she reached for the switch, pausing.

“Whatever happens, whoever shows up…I want you to know something.” She couldn’t look him in the optics. It felt so strange to be candid and honest with him. They were supposed to be enemies after all. Stockholm syndrome came to mind… Forcing herself to look at him directly she summoned all her courage. “I believe you're better than just a Decepticon, I think you're better than Megatron and I believe you could help change this fucking mess!”

Optics wide, Starscream again was rendered dumb. He’d never heard anyone give him such praise, let alone an Autobot. The force in her words made him believe she was sincere. For how many centuries had he tried to convince Megatron of his folly only to be beaten as punishment. Now here was a Cybertronian from an opposing faction cheering him on. It took a moment to process but finally, he managed a low, humble bow, smiling as he motioned again to the beacon. Flicking the switch the femme stiffened. They stayed hunched around the device…worrying about what the future might bring.


	16. Chapter 16

With the beacon set, they had nothing but free time on their hands. It would be hours before the beacon would relay its first sensor scan findings. Finding a site to set up a base camp of sorts was the next item on the agenda. Shelter was a concern, due to the existence of electrical storms on the planet. Gliding down from the peak, the pair headed for the valley which wound between the mountains and faded into the horizon. Starscream had unconsciously let her take the lead exploring the new area. She would be better at finding an adequate location, especially when it came down to her finding her own resources.

Knightflyer had begun heading in the direction they had arrived from. She remembered a waterfall that cascaded over one of the smaller formations and disappeared under thick tree cover. ‘May as well do some sightseeing’ she mused. If nothing else she could get a quick shower. The dust here got into her joints and hair driving her nuts. Looking over to the mech she motioned towards the waterfall and descended. Gliding through the treetops she landed beside the base of the falls, the force of the tumbling water casting a mist. Scanning the rock face behind the falls there didn’t appear to be anything like a cave or alcove. She then looked at the cauldron base of the falls which spilled over into channel that twisted its way through the polished stone surface. Following it with her optics she saw it drained into another pool a few feet away, steam rising from it. Putting two and two together she bolted for the pool.

The mech had just landed to see Knightflyer running straight towards a pooling of something…something boiling? She didn’t seem to be slowing down and he couldn’t believe his optics as she sprung into the air. ‘What is she..?’ he wondered as the realization hit him like lightning. Before he knew it she had splashed down in the middle of it. Wincing he waited to hear calls of pain or distress but only heard silence until a sigh of relief. Opening his optics fully he saw her submerged all the way to the neck optics dimmed and a content smile on her lips. Sighing to himself in relief that she wasn’t being eaten away by acid he soon felt intensely annoyed. ‘Does she know how reckless that was?’ he wondered. He balled his fists in frustration as he approached the smoldering pool, grumbling every step.

“How stupid can you be?!” he screamed at the femme making her optics go wide. “Jumping into an unknown liquid before actually analyzing it? What if it was acid?” crossing his arms he gave her a scolding look. Her lack of abhorrence for anything organic continued to surprise him. He knew after finding out about her eating habit he shouldn’t be shocked by anything at this point but it was still unnerving. His attempt at reprimanding her seemed in vain as she rolled her eyes at the seeker.

“I could smell it was just water and that the temperature wasn’t dangerous, too.” Starscream raised a brow ridge, obviously having a hard time with her explanation. “My olfactory is more accurate than yours, trust me,” she pointed to her nose and winked at him. Almost taking offense he released his arms and huffed as he crouched on the edge of the pool, lowering a servo into the water cautiously. She was right about the temperature it was high but not damaging. It was close to the level of a hot oil bath. ‘What I wouldn’t give for one of those right now,’ he mused as he flexed his wrist. The common soil here found its way into joints mercilessly. The grinding between his plating was starting to drive him nuts. Noticing him tending to his wrist she thought she’d see if she could get him to join her.

“See it’s safe. Why don’t you hop in! It’ll help, trust me.” She gave him a wide-eyed smile. Grimacing, he stared at the swirling water then back at her. “c’mon!” she motioned him with a come hither motion. “When in Rome, man.”

“You bomb it” the seeker absentmindedly let slip. After he said it he stole a look to see a less than impressed expression on her face. Conceding defeat he sighed as he lowered a heel thruster into the water, nervously looking back at the femme. As he inched in her expression softened as she moved over a little, giving him room. Once both legs were in he realized she must be sitting down to get that much submerged. Slowly lowering himself further he held his vents. For some reason, he felt like he should be embarrassed about what he was doing. How degrading that the air commander of the Decepticon forces was sitting in a puddle… willingly.

The feeling soon disappeared as the warmth penetrated to his joints and cables. It may not be an oil bath but it was starting to feel good. Flexing his arms under the water he felt them loosen and relax, working the cursed dust out of his crevices. Off lining his optics he sighed heavily as he sank further into the pool soaking up the wonderful feeling. He was so content he didn’t see Knightflyer smiling broadly, leaning against the edge of the stone bowl that formed the hot spring.

Looking around she spotted a pile of scrub looking brush that was sitting about a few feet away from the pool. Snatching it up she started rubbing it on her plating. Eureka! Instant loofa! She excitedly stood up and started to work giving herself a good rub down, working the stubborn dirt and other material off her frame. Confused the seeker watched her, again questioning her sanity. Knightflyer was oblivious to his stares as she hummed in contentment. When she felt she was thoroughly buffed she looked to him and extended the soggy mass toward him.

“If you want I can do your back for you?” she offered. The mech stiffened at the offer. As much as he probably needed a thorough cleaning the thought of her mercilessly assaulting his back and wing plates made him shudder. That was the most sensitive part of a seeker. The area where the wings joined their frame…and the wings themselves had the biggest cluster of sensors on their bodies. The primary reason was for detecting wind speed velocities and other factors for flight, making them wholly suited to the act. The erogenous effect was both a blessing and a curse.

She apparently didn’t realize the implication she was presenting with offering to service his wings. Hurriedly he snatched the bundle from her and started his own cleaning. Almost disappointed she slumped against the ledge and looked at the waterfall. ‘Now there’s some water pressure!’ she realized and stood up to hop out of the pool. “I’ll be over there” she pointed to the falls, the seeker nodded as he stood up to work on his legs and pedes. When he was done he sank back into the water and decided to relax again. As he tried to let his mind wander he didn’t notice his optics had wandered, on their own, to where Knightflyer was, showering under the waterfall. When he finally realized he was staring at her he was glad he hadn’t let her touch his wings.

Like the moment on the mountain, he was watching something that took his breath away. The way the water cascaded off her frame, slicking her hair along her smooth curves….. It was already too much as he felt his frame betray him once more. He strongly considered the fact he was submerged and she was a good distance from the pool. He could probably let his panel open and get away with servicing his spike and she might not notice. It wouldn’t take much with how many frustrations he’d suffered lately. He groaned at the thought of how sweet the overload would be, watching her running her talons through her slick hair. If she did notice that would just add another complication to their already strained situation.

Training his optics to the sky he decided the temperature of the water was now making the pressure behind his plate worse. ‘Too good to be true’ he sighed to himself. At least he had gotten the dust and grime out of his joints. Climbing out, he stretched. That experience hadn’t been as bad as he thought and made a note to remember this spot. Scanning the area the tree coverage was quite dense and made it hard to even see the eerie light of the moons through the foliage. Searching the area from above would be difficult especially if they were looking for shelter. Knightflyer had ended her session in the falls and saddled up to him vigorously shaking the moisture from her hair. She seemed to pick up on what he was thinking.

“Care for a stroll?” she spoke up, snapping him out of his concentration. “It’s a nice night anyway and the weather is holding up” she joked as she set off in front of him. The spring fed into a stream that converged alongside the rocky surface at the base of the falls. The hard rock surface gave way to a softer soil as they followed the stream into the forest. Though there weren’t any animals visible voices of some could be heard through the darkness of the tree cover. The femme stilled for a moment staring into the shadows of the treeline. Without warning, she pounced into the brush and disappeared.

“Hey!” Starscream called out. Rushing to the trees he was stopped by her jumping back out with two different creatures, one in each hand. Face palming he stepped back as she stood proud of her catch.

“Hey. They were there. Waste not, want not.” She said as she slung them over her shoulder. Noticeably disturbed the mech flinched at how easily she handled the dead creatures, not concerned with gore or anything else. The one animal had only 4 legs but no discernable head while the other had 6 legs and a huge head that looked like it was completely covered in eyes. It made him think of an Insecticon, which drew a shiver from him. ‘Disgusting’ was all he could think but dared not utter it out loud.

Shrouded by the night sky the pair trekked along the stream in relative silence. Other than the width of the stream not much changed as they followed its winding path. They continued for about an hour before they came near a rock face on one side of the stream that was now forking into a river. Walking around the rock face that met the fork they found a cave in it. The opening was 40 ft. high so Starscream peered into it. There was far more room than the one Knightflyer had retreated them to at the beginning of their shared exile. Turning behind himself he heard her follow him inside. She took quick stock of the place and grinned.

“What, not going to carry me over the threshold?” she jeered.

“I don’t get it” he simply responded, acting clueless to the reference. “Unless you have any objections I think this should serve as shelter for now” he stately rather arrogantly. He was pretty sure she was making some reference to human mating behavior to unsettle him but he just shrugged it off.

Deflated she nodded her agreeance with their shelter as she set down her kill by the entrance. Strolling to the one side that had a rather even ledge worn into the rock she sat and lay down with her hands behind her helm. “Well, after that hot spring I could use a nap. See ya in the morning” she said yawning and offlining her optics.   
The seeker moved to be opposite her in the cave and sat down on the earth covered cave floor. He couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before they were rescued or were able to escape on their own. The beacon would be some time before it finished its scanning sequence so they had nothing else to do but wait.

He thought about returning to his master’s side, being thrown into constant conflict again. There was a tightening in his spark chamber. It was then he realized he normally felt that sensation all the time whether fighting, scheming, or whatever his duties had him doing. For once in a long time, he hadn’t felt it in days...since arriving here. Even when he was in shambles, he was in pain and frustrated but this was different. It was dread. Dread at the thought of going back to the way things were before. The war, the fighting…the needless, endless fighting.

Glancing to her sleeping form he tried to picture having to meet her in battle again and the pressure in his chest got unbearable. He felt there was something happening here, between them, but couldn’t fathom what it could be. All he knew was he was starting to relax around her, something he hadn’t done in over a millennium. He knew as an Autobot she would be trustworthy regardless but this felt different. Dwelling on the implications made his processor hurt so deciding recharging was a better idea he settled against the rock wall and offlined his optics. The last thing he heard was the breeze outside the cave along with her gentle venting across from him.


	17. Chapter 17

The mech on lined his optics and saw the day cycle had begun, sunlight streaming into the cave. Gazing across the cave he noticed his companion wasn’t where she had lain the night before. Quickly searching around himself he found she wasn’t beside or on him this time. Sighing in relief, he sensed smoke dancing across the cave entrance and then it was clear. Standing up he walked outside to find her sitting in front of a large bonfire, both animals she had caught staked over the blaze. Turning to face him she smiled. “Good morning!’ she chirped.

“Morning,” he lazily responded and went to stand on the edge of the river. His optics followed its path that seemed to widen as it carved a trench through the valley. They were on the cusp of the valley, it opening up through the trees to meet the sky. One could see for miles toward the horizon as the mountains rose on both sides to frame the area. ‘Might actually be beautiful…if it wasn’t for all the dirt.’ he admitted to himself. Turning back to the femme he took a place beside her on the rocky beach in front of the fire. As he sat she squirmed nervously, making him glance questioningly.

“I was trying to get this out of the way before you woke up, you know?” she pointed to last night’s previous catch. Even though he hadn’t fussed after his initial encounter with her fueling method she didn’t want to force him to see it. In fact, his total lack of usual behavior was getting unnerving. She was used to dealing with an arrogant, overbearing narcissist but since their truce, he’d been bending over backward to keep the peace. At least for what passed for it in his case. His expression went neutral as he turned to face the fire.

“I am a scientist as well you know? I can separate myself from cause and consequence. As long as you get your energy it shouldn’t matter how you get it.” It was a cold response but it was steeped in the truth. It was one of the ways he was able to set aside his initial revulsion. ‘Beggars can’t be choosers’ also ran through his mind but he kept that to himself. The scientist part of him actually wanted to know exactly how her frame could function the way it did. She was a complete mystery for one of his kind and had she been captured outright he would have had the opportunity to examine her, piece by piece. Again he felt uneasy at the thought of her being in chains, tortured. ‘I can’t even bring myself to think about that..?’ he grimaced, frustrated again with his change in mentality. Catching her worried expression in his peripheral he knew he must have actually made the expression he was feeling.

“It’s nothing, just a pebble in my wing joint.” Not sure if she bought it he tried to change the subject as she reached for one of the beasts with 6 legs that were on the spit. He regretted looking at it as the eyes had swollen and looked like they were close to bursting from the heat of cooking it. Looking towards the river he asked, “so what should we do while we wait for the beacon? Maybe…” he was cut off abruptly by the sound of choking and retching beside him. She was covering her mouth coughing and shaking her head.

“Oh hell no!” she gasped as she threw the animal, spit and all, across the river. Crawling to the river she stuck her whole face into the water gulping furiously. Starscream had to stifle a laugh as he watched her. From her reaction that critter wasn’t to her liking. Sitting on her heels wiping her mouth she sighed, “Well that one’s off the menu!” Crawling back to the fire pit she looked at the other course warily, not sure if it was worth testing.

“Didn’t agree with you?” the mech joked playfully. Saying nothing she shot daggers at him with her optics. Knowing better than to push her buttons too much, he left it at that. He looked at the charred beast as well and part of him started to worry. She was his source of energy and if she had a hard time getting nourishment it would spell trouble for him too. It looked like she was feeling reluctant to try the other one and needed a nudge. Steeling himself he picked it up and offered it to her, giving her an encouraging smile. Shocked at his bravery she gingerly took it from him with a nod and took a nervous bite. After a moment her optics went wide with relief and started to eagerly chew and take bigger bites. The seeker couldn’t hide his own relief as he smiled at the display, despite knowing how disgusted he should be by it. Turning his optics back to the fire as it started to burn its self out he decided to start another conversation. “So…you never told me about how you got to be Cybertronian,” he said using a stick of kindling to poke at the coals. He heard her swallow and become silent, holding her breath.

“Thing is…I was always one...just in the wrong body...” she trailed off, unsure of what she should say. She turned her head to meet his confused optics. Sighing she continued, “It’s kind of a long confusing story and I’m not really sure of all the details.” Pausing for a moment she tried to organize her thoughts. ‘Fuck! What do I …actually...tell him?’ she frantically thought. Prime didn’t want her nature known to the Deceptions and even though they had an agreement she was apprehensive. “From what I know when sparks were being doled out eons ago instead of mine taking a protoform it wanted to...explore... or something. Don’t ask me why. So I floated around the galaxies for a long time and eventually through dimensions. I don’t really have any memory of this, mind you. A …third party filled me in, so to speak.” ‘Don’t need to drop the Matrix bomb’ she reminded herself.

“So over the course of...pretty much forever... I watched worlds born and worlds die. Species rise and evolve. It was an endless cycle until I came by Earth in one dimension. For some reason, the species had me curious and some dumb part of my conscious thought it would be interesting to be one to learn more. So I found a body that would’ve been stillborn and merged with it. But for all my knowledge, one simple error, in fact, stranded me. Forgetting the limits of the human mind I lost all sense of what I was and I forgot ….everything. I spent the next 20 yrs. growing up as a human female. I’ll spare you the dismal details but throughout it, I always felt different. Eventually, my frustrated spark acted on this by changing my body. It was a painful process that landed me in medical care which in turn had me isolated in a research facility. Let’s just say the doctors were very…intrigued.”

Pausing to take a bite to collect the rest of her thoughts she looked at the river. “I don’t know how long I was there. Their daily “experiments” drove me almost insane. Eventually, I had enough and through their testing I learned how strong I was and went berserk one day, trying to break out. I was cornered in one of the labs. In desperation, I decided to blow the place by wrecking the gas lines. I didn’t care if I died in an explosion. It would be better than being a lab rat. As I saw the fire start a flash of light blinded me and I figured that was the end. Instead, I woke up in a forest close to a city. It was shortly after that I came across the fight you were in.”The seeker looked to his arm weapons. The memory of him blasting her out of the sky, after she had shouted a warning at Hot Rod, flashed in his mind. No wonder she had survived if she wasn’t a simple organic creature.

“Anyway, most of the rest you know. I was taken in by the Autobots and lived with them with nowhere else to go. I still felt something was missing and that became clear when the mission to Cybertron to see if Vector Sigma was still active came up. I stowed away on the transport when I wasn’t allowed to go with the others across the space bridge they had commandeered. Once there I felt pulled by a force and when I found it turned out Vector Sigma itself was calling me. I don’t remember much except Optimus finding me and carrying me away. I woke up back at the base like this. Since then I’ve been a medical mystery to a different set of doctors and myself. I still can’t remember anything from before, let alone really explain how I ended up back in the right dimension.” Shifting her gaze to look at him his face was unreadable. “There you have it” she stated as she dedicated herself to finishing her meal.

The mech sat and stared at her trying to wrap his processor around what he had just heard. His analytical mind was screaming the whole story was preposterous but the evidence he had already witnessed suggested otherwise. Perhaps Megatron had also discovered her true origin and that was why he was sent to retrieve her. A spark that could survive the cosmos without a frame for eons and end up taking a different body then it was meant for… her explanation raised more questions than it answered. He considered her mention of human doctors testing and experimenting on her and it made his Energon go cold. The same fate would most likely have occurred if she had been brought to the Decepticons. Despite the amount of information she had given him he felt there was something she was holding back, recalling her breakdown before he was restored. ‘I wonder if that... was her doing?’ he mused. The possibility was intriguing…and frightening! If that kind of power were possible no wonder his master was after her. He waited until she had discarded the branch she ate from to speak.

“Thank you for trusting me with this. Now I can see where your…eccentricities come from,” he smirked trying to hide his true emotions. She got up, giving him a gesture with her middle digit, as she went over to the river to clean up. Turning around after she was done she stood with a servo on her hip.

“So, you ever gonna tell me your story?” she inquired.

“Perhaps,” he said. “If there’s time.”


	18. Chapter 18

After breakfast, Knightflyer gave her companion a transfusion and they sat in an uncomfortable silence the whole time. It hadn’t been the whole truth but she felt uneasy about telling him that much. The thought of Optimus finding out how many beans she’d split already made her feel like purging her tanks. ‘Nothing like disappointing dad’ she lamented. He may not actually be her creator but he was the kind, father figure she needed when she had arrived. He had made it quite clear the importance of keeping as much from the other side as possible concerning her clandestine nature.

She started to wonder how weird things were going to get now with what information had come to light. The current tension could be cut with an energy saber. She couldn’t tell if his silence was from the same discomfort or if he was just trying to make sense of her story. The silence was maddening and she couldn’t take it anymore!

“I’m going back to the crash site!” she blurted out as she disconnected their Energon ports. Standing up she brushed herself off and tried to avoid his optics. The mech looked confused.

“Why!? There’s nothing there!” he barked...unintentionally. His reaction was more from being snapped out of his own musings than anything else. Noticing she was uncomfortable he decided instead of berating her with questions staying silent to analyze her story was the best option. Her outburst after said silence had been jarring.

“I’m just grabbing some scrap,” she answered. The seeker remained silent. Exasperated she vented heavily. “Look! I’m just gonna try to build something for myself since we could be here a while. It’s got nothing to do with you.” Understanding her meaning he nodded.

“Want me to come with you? I could help...” waving her hands in front of his face she cut him off.

“Its…ok! There’s no need for you to waste energy. I’ll be right back, ok?” she said backing away from him. With another nod from him, she turned around and took off toward her crash site. She hoped some distance between them would calm her nerves.

Suddenly Starscream was alone. Alone… and bored. She had refused his offer of assistance and found his time was his own. Since the eruption of the war, he couldn’t remember having any leisure time. Even in his research, the last few centuries had been to further the Decepticon cause, not to satisfy his curiosity. After she left he felt oddly guilty standing there trying to figure out what to do with himself.

He thought of checking on the beacon but realized they hadn’t synched coms so he couldn’t let her know he was checking on it. ‘It’s not like I need to worry about her wondering where I might go,’ he huffed. Even so, if he ran into an emergency or needed Energon, that could be a problem. He went into the cave and using a digit he drew a depiction of the beacon in the sandy cave floor. Satisfied it was adequate he left the cave and took off for the peak.

It only took him minutes to reach it. Landing he saw it was still secured and appeared undamaged. The display showed it wasn’t done its initial scan and it was going to take longer than he had thought. He watched the screen as it recorded the data and thought he saw some anomalous readings. It wouldn’t let him backtrack the findings until it had done its full scan. Frustrated, he closed the panel and planned on coming back later that day.

Taking back to the air he glided close to the trees, scanning for anything noteworthy, like Energon deposits. Coming up negative again he gave up on it for the time being. Cruising on he passed over an area with many trees that appeared to be dead or dying. Remembering Knightflyer’s preference for cooking her food he touched down for a closer look. They were definitely dead which he knew would make good fuel for her pit. The patch of dead plants looked odd as he couldn’t find a reason for them to be so desiccated. Crouching down he began loading his arms with the deadfall. The upside was it was light enough from drying out that he wouldn’t waste much energy. Taking off once more he headed for home base.

The mech returned shortly to find he was the first to do so. The camp was silent save for the rushing of the river. He made a neat stack of the wood by the entrance of the shelter before he went to scan the water. His keen optics saw many forms of aquatic creatures swimming with and against the current. He thought about collecting some for his companion to try but stopped himself.

‘That would be too much!’ he considered her reaction to what he’d already done on her behalf would be. Besides, it wasn’t his nature to go out of his way for anyone. ‘What’s wrong with me? Where is this coming from?’ he sighed rubbing his temples. The longer he stayed here the stranger his reactions became. ‘Must be letting my guard down, getting complacent,’ he reasoned as he sat down on the edge of the bank. Having some time to himself he decided to give the situation a good ponder.   
It had been a long time since he had given a damn about anyone. The last person he had was Skyfire. He had been given up for dead, found by Starscream himself and rescued only to betray him for the Autobots. He was trying to figure out why he’d slip up now. ‘Wouldn’t unless…’ he froze, ‘I’m getting attached to her!?” war was no time for such frivolous things, especially where the enemy was concerned. Shaking his head he reasoned it was because he was reliant on her for life-sustaining fuel while he was stranded with the femme. A very attractive femme! Also, his prolonged abstinence must have been playing a part. It had been a long time since he had interfaced so it would stand to reason temptation would rear its ugly head. Deciding it was just lust and nothing else he didn’t want to dwell on it any longer.


	19. Chapter 19

Her little field trip to the crash site had paid off, both mentally and material wise. She had time to get her mind off the guilt about disclosing some sensitive info and her nervousness about Starscream. There was no sense worrying about what had already been said and done. Normally she’d contribute the seeker’s behavior to scheming behind one's back while appearing co-operative but this was different. Knowing he was intelligent she finally concluded the awkward behaviour was most likely him ACTUALLY being co-operative. For once he didn’t have Megatron breathing down his neck so that would throw a guy off for sure. She felt refreshed as she held tightly onto the cables that were tied around her bundle of pieces for her DIY barbecue. ‘Probably a stupid idea but at least it’ll be something to do’ she reasoned with herself as she dipped down toward the opening of the fork.

She set down around the bend where the stream met the river. Coming around to the mouth of the cave she saw Starscream on the bank, seemingly lost in thought. Setting down her haul he stirred at the sound and got up to greet her with a wave. As she untied the cables she noticed the stack of wood. “Where’d this come from?” she asked the seeker. For no reason at all his faceplates began to heat up at her discovery. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked over her head.

“I…checked on the beacon earlier but it wasn’t done its initial scan. You can tell Wheeljack it’s slower than Astro train doing complex equations! Anyway, on the way back I spotted some resources you might be able to use.” Gesturing to the pile he held his breath until she responded. Staring for a moment she chuckled.

“Talk about coincidence!” she exclaimed. “This goes along with why I grabbed this stuff.” The mech relaxed a little that she wasn’t weirded out by his action. He knew he himself was acting out of sorts but she didn’t seem to notice or wasn’t letting it bother her. He watched her as she finished untying the scrap. She started sorting through the pieces, arranging them in some order that made no sense to him. When she looked up at him he was raising a brow ridge. Seeing his obvious confusion she laughed and waved him off. “Don’t worry. I don’t need your help with this. It’s my project, remember?” she assured him.

Shrugging, he strode over to the riverbank again and sat down. He alternated his attention between the creatures swimming in the river and her fabricating of...something. She seemed to have no actual training for it as she stared at the pieces for a while as she assembled her object. For a moment he was tempted to offer his assistance because watching her fumble was painful! Remembering what she said he sighed and went back to staring at the river. He was finding this act strangely cathartic, letting his mind wander, relaxed.

“Eureka!” she yelled, startling the mech from his stupor. He got up and walked to where she sat proud of her self. Whatever it was she had placed it over where she had a fire that morning. Scratching his helm he tried to figure out what it was. She obviously was waiting for praise as her optics were trained on him. All he could do was offer another shrug.

“Are you going to eat it...?” he guessed. That was apparently incorrect as her mood instantly deflated. Sighing she got up and started gathering some of the wood Starscream had collected earlier. She brought it over to the grill and got it ready to use once she’d found another meal. It was roughly made. Basically a mess of long thin sections of steel crisscrossing held up by four very uneven legs.

“I thought I’d make an actual grill, to make the food thing easier…” she said as she arranged the pieces, not looking up. “I mean now that I don’t have to hide it I could actually go a little crazy!” she laughed nervously. The fact that Starscream couldn’t even tell what it was probably meant it was pretty bad. ‘Not like he’d know what it is anyway, realistically.’ She reassured herself. Either way, her excitement had flown the coup.

Starscream took a moment to realize what it was after she mentioned food. She had seemed to be proud of her work until he went way off base guessing what it was. ‘How did she expect me to know that?’ he sighed in his processor. Thinking of a way to distract her from her disappointment he remembered the river. Walking over to the bank he called back to her, “well at least you can test it out now if you like?” wading in he watched the creatures under the surface. Most of the smaller ones scattered away from him while the bigger ones seemed not to give a care.

Setting his sights on a particularly big one he grabbed for it with lightning speed, grasping it he brought it to the surface. Holding it up over his head he waited for her to show her approval…until the slippery thing wiggled its way out of his grasp. Frantically he tried to get a hold on it again but the more he tried the faster it would slip out of his servos. Eventually, it was sent flying toward the middle of the river. The mech made an attempt the catch it as his heel thruster got hooked on a rock and he fell face-first into the water. He came back up a moment later sputtering and cursing. Looking to the bank he found Knightflyer, lying on the beach, laughing hysterically. Utterly humiliated he went to stand to leave the river as his pede slipped on some particularly slippery rocks and fell again. He took his time trying to get his footing before standing again. The current and the uneven bottom of the river were frustrating to deal with. ‘Why did I even bother?’ he moaned to himself. Suddenly he felt himself being hauled to his feet. As he resurfaced he realized it was Knightflyer hooking her arm around his.

“I’m so sorry for laughing!” she apologized with a hint of mirth in her voice. “I just couldn’t help it. One moment you were there the next you were head over heels.” Optics wide he pursed his lips and nodded as she helped steady him. Once he was upright again she placed her hand on his pectoral slats. His processor reeled at her touch. Smiling she tapped him once, “thanks for trying but I think I’m built more for this.” Holding up her other servo she brandished her talons in a threatening way. Without a word he gingerly made his way back to the shore.

First, he had been humiliated but now he was flustered. It was taking less and less for his carnal instincts to flare up. This was going to be more than a test of mere survival but of his will power as well. Still, he refused to succumb to such things. Not after centuries of discipline and training. He was sharply shocked out of his musings as he was struck in the face with something scaled and slippery. Looking to his pedes he saw a wriggling creature struggling to move on the rocky shore. Looking back to the river he saw the femme putting up her hand in a wave of apology.

“You did that on purpose” he whispered to himself. Picking the creature up pinching, what he could only assume what was its tail; he carried it over to the remaining scrap from her build. Taking a piece of plate he fashioned a bowl of sorts and placed the animal in it. Walking back to the shoreline he sat down with the bowl to his side.

For the next while, he watched her fish. Standing perfectly still, her optics trained to whatever she saw under the rolling current. She’d stay that way until in a flash she’d stab her arm in the water and come up with a wriggling critter skewered on her claws. ‘Definitely better suited for it’ he admitted watching her skill. Once she noticed the container she started tossing them to it or Starscream depending if her attention was on more potential prey. He caught the distracted throws and added them to her tally. Unintentionally they fell into a rhythm, her hunting turning in to a game of catch. Before long the bowl was full and Starscream held it up to show her. Nodding she waded effortlessly to shore.

Looking at the catch she noted of all the animals here these things resembled Earth creatures the most. “Hope you guys taste the same,” she said as she held one up. The mech was going to ask what she meant but kept it to himself, still half in shock from the surprisingly enjoyable endeavor he had joined in. The femme had already lit the stack of wood and began arranging the fish on her makeshift grill. Seeing she was going to be busy he excused himself.

“While you attend to…that I’ll go check on the beacon,” he said as he turned around to fly off. She waved him off and he took to the sky to the peak. Once he got there he saw a warning light flashing telling him the scan was complete or there was a notification. Opening the display panel he eagerly went through the readings…and his spark sank.


	20. Chapter 20

It had turned out that the sensors couldn’t determine their location…at all. Starscream analyzed the readings himself and nothing there matched with any known locations or star formations in his data bank. There was no way of knowing where they were and the prospect of rescue dwindled to a speck of dust. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there staring at the device, part of him hoping it was just a glitch. Something Wheeljack was famous for. Sighing he reset the parameters to determine properties of the environment, like mineral composition, ion concentration in the atmosphere, radiation spectrums, etc. “may as well get acquainted with our new home…” he paused. “Our home...” the phrase passed his lips without him even realizing it. The reality of being here for a very long time with the Autobot was becoming visceral.

He suddenly felt apprehensive about telling her the findings. It wasn’t like she’d be likely to abandon him, deprive him of Energon, and leave him to die. The truth was she was good to a fault and would continue to keep him alive as long as she could. He was the one that was weak in this situation. She was wholly suited to survive here. She could live off of the flora and fauna for energy and be perfectly alright. He, on the other hand, wasn’t. Without a source of refined Energon, he was a goner. And without means of manufacturing necessities, he would be doomed.

Deciding it was better to get it over with and break the news to her was probably the best course he set off for base. Passing the dead field he grabbed an armful of wood again. ‘Huh. Already making things routine...’ he mused as he resumed course. As an organized mech, routine and order would help him stay sane. If it helped keep him on good terms with Knightflyer that was a plus also.

Landing by the cave entrance he thought about joking with ‘honey, I’m home’ but thought better of it. Turned out even if he had said it she wasn’t there to hear. Adding the new pile to the stack he saw the fire was extinguished, just the coals and empty bowl remained. Looking into the cave he felt his breath hitch as he looked at the cave floor. He had meant to erase his message from earlier as she didn’t arrive back until after he had. The fact she had seen it made him mildly embarrassed. Beside his depiction was another one, this one looked like it represented the falls and hot spring with a small set of bat wings hanging over it. Grinning, he saw she had left him an indication of where she had gone. He didn’t feel so foolish all of a sudden. He considered waiting for her to return but after the slagging beacon's findings, he was tense and could use some relaxation. Taking off from inside the cave he headed toward the falls leisurely cruising just over the stream.

When he got to the falls he landed 10 ft. from the stone bowl and saw Knightflyer already enjoying the comfort, optics offlined seemingly in recharge. A part of him was glad he’d get to see her like this for a while yet. ‘Oh yeah…’ he remembered he was about to be the bearer of bad news and went sullen. She slowly opened her optics and noticed him standing there.

“Yey, I’m not such a terrible artist after all” she winked at him. “Thanks for helping me fish earlier. It was actually fun!” she smiled at Starscream who just remained silent as he avoided her gaze and without warning strode into the pool and submerged up to his chin. Taken aback by his strange display she tried to joke, “Geez, who died?” as soon as she said it she choked. ‘Oh shit! Probably gonna be us...’ she worried. Calming herself she gave Starscream the chance to speak when he wanted.

“Well…not us…for now,” he answered.

‘Fuck! Stupid, stupid!’ she scorned herself.

“The beacon couldn’t detect anything that would suggest we’re anywhere near known space. Nothing matched anything in my star charts either.” He feebly raised his eyes to meet hers. “Looks like we might not need to worry about our departure strategy after all,” he said, lowering his voice. Part of him was actually relieved at the thought of not having to deceive one's faction on behalf of one from another. Being here and not having to continuously watch his back had been a welcome break. One he wasn’t quite ready to give up so easily. Although her expression appeared worried she didn’t seem as terrified as he had feared. “I reset the perimeters to scan the planet itself for different factors. Things that might make staying here a little more bearable,” he explained to the femme.

Leaning back against the edge of the spring he looked up to the setting sun. Time had passed that day without worrying about it at all. As the red and green tinges started to take up the sky he thought, ‘I might be able to get used to this’. He flinched as he felt something grasp his servo. Looking down he saw Knightflyer had taken his hand in hers and was squeezing it hard. He quickly looked to her face to see she was looking up at the same sky, a small amount of lubricant trickling down her cheek. Not knowing what else to do he gave her's a small squeeze back and the pair sat watching the night sky unfold to them in silence.


	21. Chapter 21

The two had sat watching the sunset for about 20 minutes in silence, hands still together. Knightflyer had pretty much forgotten about it all, lost in thought. Starscream however, was frozen in place, completely thrown by the gesture. ‘I’m in SOOOO much slag!’ was all he could think before she released him to use the waterfall. He made a point this time to not look in that direction.

It was well after nightfall before they returned to camp. Neither had said much on the way, the weight of reality still too heavy on their processors. The mech immediately retreated to the cave to recharge. Knightflyer made a small bonfire, not to cook, just… because. She wondered if on top of the mechs full recovery she might be responsible for them being stranded all the way to hell and gone. If that was the case she should be able to get them back… if she knew how. Looking to the heavens she could’ve screamed.

“So nice of you to warn me about being responsible with this thing but not tell me how to use it!” she cursed the sky. Slumping she hugged her knees to her chin, burying her face she sobbed uncontrollably. She was stuck god knows where with the universes most sketchy Decepticon. She cried out of fear and self-pity if nothing else. Even if his survival depended on her he was being far more considerate in ways that made her take a double-take. There was the truce but she still felt she should be wary.

‘Oh god!’ she remembered. ‘And I held his hand…in the hot spring?!’ she groaned at her thoughtless action earlier that evening. ‘He wouldn’t take that as…anything….right?’ up until now she thought her “libido” was just another anomaly of hers and totally unique to her. She hadn’t considered that there might be a Cybertronian equivalent she was unaware of. As the thought crossed her processor she was mortified. She hoped her gesture in the hot spring wouldn’t be taken as an invitation….to something. Deciding she didn’t want to chance an encounter she wasn’t prepared for she stayed on the beach for the night. Curling up beside the fire she watched its reflection dance on the ripples of the river. “Primus” she spoke softly. “If you are out there, I hope you know what you’re doing.” Closing her optics she hoped a good rest would clear her processor.

Inside the cave someone was still awake, nervously waiting for her to join him. He was still trying to convince himself that the hand holding had been meant as a sign of assurance, comfort and nothing more. With how things kept getting turned on their head lately he couldn’t be sure. Briefly, he considered pursuing her as a possible interfacing partner. They might be there for a long time, after all.

“No! No! Bad idea!” he shook his head vigorously. ‘What a mess that would end up being,’ he assured himself. As tempting as it was to indulge himself where no one would find out somehow he couldn’t justify interfacing with an Autobot. He groaned covering his optics with his right servo. He hoped the beacon would give him some information to work with. At least to offer somewhat of a distraction.

She hadn’t come back to the cave yet as he expected her to. Normally she’d be checking his Energon levels to see if he needed a transfusion. Not that he needed one right then but he wondered if something was wrong. Picking himself up from the cave floor he peered outside. She had lit a fire but there was nothing cooking over it. Walking out he found her lying beside the pit, seemingly unconscious. Cautiously he approached her and ran a scan. It showed she was fine, just in recharge. Taking a closer look he saw a damp spot under her head in line with her optics. ‘There is something wrong...’ he realized. Kneeling down to her he couldn’t help himself from wiping the moisture from her cheek. She was trying to hide her weakness from him now, he could see it.

“You don’t deserve this” he whispered low. “I’m the one who should be exiled, not you.” As shocked as he was at his own words he knew they were true. For everything he went along with in the past few million years in the name of his own survival he deserved punishment. The inner voice he had spent so long trying to ignore was getting stronger and he was losing the strength to do so. He wanted her to trust him more, to open up to him. Deep down he wanted her to see the bot he used to be, before the war, but he didn’t know if he could be that anymore. Glancing to the cave entrance, the shelter now looked cold and uninviting, without her in it. Deciding against moving her inside he sat down beside her and offlining his optics he slipped into recharge.


	22. Chapter 22

Instead of restful slumber, she had fitful, almost frightening visions. Some were of Cybertron, its cities, buildings, and its people being destroyed. Some were of planets, star systems, galaxies, civilizations she didn’t recognize coming into existence then disappearing. She could feel a sense of growing urgency and panic to be…somewhere! Whenever the sense of panic turned into terror there was a violent flash and a new scene was set in front of her. A constant barrage of images steadily increased until it was a maddening, horrific crescendo. She tried to scream but no voice came from her as she wailed in silence and misery into nothing.

When she woke finally, returning to reality, she didn’t find herself in the dirt but in two blue and white arms. As her optics focused she saw two soft red ones looking back at her silhouetted by a dark, concerned face. At first, she thought she was still dreaming as he remained silent. The illusion was shattered as she felt a hand cup her cheek.

“Good morning”, the seeker said with an almost silken tone, his eyes locked on hers. It was then she panicked, slapping his face so hard he let her go as she screamed and crawled away. Falling back on his aft he held his faceplate in shock. She had fled to the other side of her pit, staring at him in horror, venting heavily and shaking. It took him a second to collect himself before letting rage take him over.

“What the frag was that for??????????!” he screamed still holding his face.

“What do you mean what for? What were you doing...doing...” she raggedly responded, waving her arms around herself in a frantic manner. “First I’m asleep by myself then I wake up...in...Your arms?! What...did you...” she couldn’t find the words to finish the thoughts that scared her already. Swiftly standing up the mech balled his fists for a moment staring her down. After a second he vented heavily and softened his features.

“I came to check on you when you didn’t come to the cave and I found you out here,” he tried to explain. ‘Not going to say I was out here the whole time though’. Relaxing his fists he gestured to where she had lain. “You were having a fit or something. When I couldn’t wake you up I tried to make sure you wouldn’t hurt yourself so I …” his voice trailed off as he lifted his arms to his sides. That part was the truth. Her thrashing around had stirred his systems and he had tried to wake her up. When that didn’t work he held her, trying to keep her from hurting herself…or him… in her delirium. Shooting her a wicked look he crossed his arms, “What did you think I was doing?” he asked. Her faceplates heated up instantly and he saw it before she could turn away. Taking a second to process what he said she remembered flashes of her visions. Placing a servo on her forehead she groaned.

“I’m...sorry...I... was having a nightmare. I woke up confused so…” she looked up sheepishly at his face where she struck him. ‘Smooth move, Exlax,’ she chided herself. ‘He was just worried about you, moron!’ righting herself to rest on her knees she bowed, “I’m sorry I hit you. I didn’t realize you were trying to help.” It was the last thing he expected to see. This strong, proud femme, bowing to him from the ground. She was just apologizing but the image of supplication started to warm areas most inconvenient. Doing his best to not look smug he walked over to her and offered his hand.

“Apology accepted” he bowed a little himself. With a weak smile, she took it as he pulled her to her feet. As he did her mind raced with an image of him pulling her close to his frame, breastplate pressed to cockpit. She was disappointed when that didn’t happen. Fidgeting she let go of his hand before it turned awkward. Focusing on her fire pit she decided hunting would be a good out to escape this situation. He obviously was watching her gaze and went to grab the “fishbowl”. Realizing he assumed she was going for the river she stammered.

“No...no! I was thinking of...hunting for a bit. Alone!” she blurted out, voice cracking. He almost looked disappointed and looked at his pedes. Steadying herself she put a hand on his shoulder making him lock optics on her. “I….just want to get a feel for the area and the animals here for a bit. Thanks to your help yesterday I know the fish are ok, right?” the femme bargained. He actually looked upset about her wanting to go by herself. This unnerved her even more and she didn’t know why. After a moment he nodded as she released his shoulder.

“In that case, I’ll go check the beacon for further information,” he stated coldly and took off without another word. She stood there utterly confused before collapsing in exasperation. She was trembling as the events of the last few minutes hit her.

“What did he mean by what I thought..?” the idea of what he was implying with…that… voice made her shudder. ‘Was I wrong this whole time about…that!?’ she wondered, horrified. She felt a familiar tingle inside of her as she wondered what he might do if she …

That was it! She had to burn off this feeling, this energy, somehow! She sprinted toward the tree line across the river, creating a mountainous wake in her path. Vaulting through the brush she focused her senses scenting for prey, any prey! She sped through the trees at a breakneck speed putting all her energy into her instincts to hunt, to search, to kill! Anything to forget the need she was feeling. It was ridiculous, it was absurd, it was wrong but the feeling wouldn’t go away. Flashes of being in his arms, under his body, tortured her mind. She longed to feel his glossa on her and in places that shouldn’t make sense. Slashing with her talons she tore down trees in her path, vaulting over rocks and deadfall as she ran. She crashed through the trees into a clearing and there she saw a creature almost her size. It turned in her direction and it stood its ground.

“Finally…” she rasped. This is what she needed. A challenge! Leaping towards it, the animal bared rows of teeth from its impossible maw as it charged. She met it with a thundering blow as she wrapped her clawed hands around what was presumably its neck. It turned out to be another mouth as another row of teeth flashed as her servo was seized in its jaw. She didn’t feel the pain but a surge of exhilaration as she and it tumbled along the field. As it tore at her hand in its other mouth she used her own to clamp on its leg (one of 8) and tore it from a socket. The beast released her, making a horrifying sound as it screamed in pain. “Your first and last mistake!’’ she growled as she grasped what was presumably its head and tore it in two. The creature fell lifeless to the ground in a heap as she collapsed to her knees venting heavily. She shook from the release of having a satisfying kill. The first in a long time. The high coming over her washed away her previous frustrations as she laughed.

After she came down from the rush she looked over her handy work. The animal had been strong and now she’d have at least a few meals out of it. The numbing aftershocks washed over her and she relished it. She knew that if she was going to stay sane she would have to find more of these creatures…or bigger. As she hoisted it over her shoulders the animal’s blood and fluids spilled down her frame. It was then she was thankful they had camped by the river. She would be able to wash away the evidence of her savagery before Starscream returned. His face flashed across her mind again and she sighed. At least now she was too exhausted to get flustered to madness again…for now.

Sprinting toward home base, being bathed in the creature's scent, she failed to sense a seeker watching her from an outcropping of rocks over the valley. Watching her in terror, and awe.


	23. Chapter 23

Starscream had checked the beacon which wasn’t done its scanning sequence so he had decided to check on his companion. After her episode in recharge he was concerned she might be malfunctioning and not telling him. Stress could cause simple issues but he needed to make sure. A reflex from his days keeping himself alive was to ensure your mode of preservation.

It didn’t take him long to find her as she swathed a path through the dense forest. ‘Not very stealthy,’ he originally thought. Until he saw her burst through the trees and square off with the huge beast. After that, he witnessed the most brutal, primal scene between a Cybertronian and an animal in his existence. To think she was holding that much brutal power inside of herself was…incredible! He watched her after the kill and it looked as though she was coming down from overload as she shivered. He stayed transfixed on his perch as she picked herself up then the beast and took off with it.

The scene had been exhilarating! He found himself shaking at witnessing her raw power and fell to his knees. Venting heavily he placed his servo over his chest, trying to calm down. He couldn’t understand why he found that brutal display so arousing but he couldn’t stop his panel from opening this time.

“Slag it!” he exclaimed as he firmly gripped his spike and oh did it feel good! It had been so long since he felt it and knew he couldn’t stop. Off lining his optics he could see himself on top of her, railing her into submission with his spike, over and over, and over! He could hear her voice screaming his name, taste her glossa on his, feel her valve clenching around his spike until overload crashed down on him like a typhoon! Everything sparked and surged until everything went black.

When he onlined his eyes again he felt content but dirty. He had succumbed to desire and he hated himself for it. He was covered in trans fluid and the dirt of the ledge he had done the deed on. With shaky legs, he picked himself up as his spike retracted behind the panel. He could still feel the throbbing inside and it made him shudder. Covering his face with both servos he sighed ‘I can’t believe I did that…’ setting his self-loathing aside he took off for a section of the river that was downstream. He had to clean himself up before he went back to her.

After a good 20 minutes in the rapids down the river from their base, Starscream returned to their camp, trying his best to appear nonchalant. He found her busy at work carving the huge thing into portions as she set them on her grill. As he approached she looked up with a nervous smile and he realized he had to look surprised.

“Whoa!” was all he could come up with. Judging by the way she beamed, he assumed it was enough. She turned back to her work, expertly using her talons to carve pieces expertly. ‘Yes, she’s definitely suited for survival here.’ He observed as she continued her work. Looking to her makeshift apparatus he saw where he could expand on its design. He decided to keep it to himself in the meantime, not wanting to spoil her mood.

‘So strange, worrying about how things I do might affect someone…again.’ He remembered his days in the science academy, working with others and pooling resources to better knowledge. Before settling down he glanced at the woodpile and wondered if she had enough. Obviously she was watching him as she motioned him to sit.

“There’s enough! Don’t worry. And thank you for bringing more, by the way.” She nodded in his direction. “Maybe you can show me where you found it and we can carry two loads at once,” she winked his way. Nodding, he sat before he stared into the fire. After a few minutes, she had the portions all on the grill, barely. She washed her servos in the river, wondering if she should wade in for another wash after her grisly takedown earlier. Looking to the sky it looked like to be about midday. “So…what should we do today?” she asked over her shoulder. The seeker shrugged, honestly not sure how to answer. It had been so long since he had a choice. Realistically he didn’t need to wait for the beacon to do some of his own investigating.

“I was thinking of checking these mountains for their mineral structures; see if there might be anything useful.” He had been thinking about it for a while but kept getting…distracted. After debating for a moment he glanced her way, “want to come with me?” Silently she considered until finally nodding ‘yes’ with a broad smile. “Alright, after…” he pointed to her heaping feast. If he didn’t know how uneven the platform was already he would’ve sworn it was buckling under the weight.

“Oh, god! I’m not eating ALL of it now!” she shook her head. “I’m not a glutton!” she laughed. “I’ll put the leftovers in the cave after I’m done, then we can be off.” Taking one of the portions she sniffed it, hoping for all her effort it was palatable. A quick nibble later she hummed her approval and took a bigger bite. Starscream realized he was watching her without being grossed out anymore. It was a good thing, especially if he was going to have any hope of working on a trusting rapport with her.

After having her fill she collected the leftovers in the ‘fishbowl’ and put in the cave. Coming back out she sat beside him yanking out her transfusion port. No words were needed as he offered his port and the ritual began. A curious smile crossed her face. Looking to the mech he obviously was wondering about her thoughts. “I was just wondering if this is what it’s like for diabetics?” she pondered. The seeker looked even more confused and she knew he’d have no idea what she was talking about. “Some humans have…an imbalance of enzymes in their bodies. Some are minor and don’t cause much harm but others can be deadly. Diabetes is an imbalance of insulin, which unchecked can wreak havoc on a person. Most need daily injections of it to function normally and have to be careful of what they ingest so they don’t throw the balance off.”

After she explained the condition to him he began to wonder the same. While they were here he’d have to rely on her for energy. Without it he’d stop functioning. ‘I did stop functioning’ he remembered his unceremonious arrival to this world. On some level he knew he owed his life to her. They were enemies and she had saved him. He wanted desperately to ask her about it but was sure it would complicate things if he did. All he could do was hope she’d trust him enough to tell him herself.

With the transfusion over she stood and stretched. “You lead the way!” she motioned in his direction. With a nod he stood and turned in the direction of one of the high peaks. Engaging his thrusters he blasted off with her following close behind. He activated his scanners to look for anything...interesting. They followed the river further into the valley which was still unexplored.

He smiled, remembering his early days when he used to enjoy this. Exploring an alien world, discovering all it had to offer. He was recalling his last expedition with Skyfire as his arm scanner alerted him to an interesting reading. Pointing in its direction he banked right and descended to a cliff halfway up one of the massive mountains. As Knightflyer landed behind him he was crouching breaking off a piece of purplish mineral.

“Energon!” he exclaimed before his face went sullen. It was an incomplete variation of a natural deposit. It lacked a property that could make it stable, even if it was properly refined. Dropping it to the ground he hung his head. “No good...” he sighed. “It’s no good to us.” ‘Well, no good to me’ he lamented. It wasn’t selfishness that prompted the thought. He’d been worrying if there was something wrong with Knightflyer that she was hiding he needed a way to sustain himself in case…

“Why isn’t it?” she was at his side, crouching to pick up the chunk. She sniffed it and had a thought.

“It’s incomplete. Even with the means of refinement it would be useless as a proper fuel.” Putting his hands up he sighed “it might be good for high grade or engex but it’s doubtful.”

Bingo!

“Could we try and make some?” she jumped up excitedly. Her enthusiasm at the mention of high grade took him by surprise. ‘So Autobots have vices too, eh?’ he mused rubbing his chin. It might be possible. If they could fashion some form of distillery equipment. It would be crude, very crude. In any other situation it would seem like a wasted effort but at least they would be being productive. ‘What the hell!’ he decided.

“Well we better scavenge both crashes in that case” he said smirking in her direction.

“Woo hoo!” she jumped in the air, still holding the sample. “What are we waiting for?” she put the sample in her thigh compartment. He couldn’t help but grin as she bounced in place, bubbling with excitement.

“We’re going to need more fuel, lots more. We’ll stop by the area with the deadfall to bring more back on the way.” He motioned for her to follow him and they took off to the dead field.


	24. Chapter 24

Stopping by ‘Deadfield’, they loaded up with as much wood as they could carry before heading back to base. Landing on the beach Knightflyer dropped her load unceremoniously at the site of her grill. It had been completely destroyed.

“What the fuck?!” she screamed as she ran to the pit. The whole thing was in pieces and scattered around the camp. There were large slashes in the ground in and around the area. The disturbed ground continued to the mouth of the cave where something had clawed the edges of the entrance. Looking inside she found most of her stash had been and found all of it gone, save for a few pieces. “Aww…” she moaned as she sunk to the ground. Leaning to sniff the dirt she recognized the scent. ‘So those things are cannibals’ she concluded in light of the evidence. Starscream entered after to see her wings sagging in disappointment. Looking over her shoulder, she shrugged, “Guess I should’ve buried it or something.”

The mech examined the site and found it had gone back in the direction where he had found her…hunting. Another one must have followed the scent back to their camp. Looking at her ruined creation he planned to make her another one but kept it to himself. “We’re going back for materials anyway,” he reminded her. “We can amend this later.”

Nodding the femme stood up and left the cave to stare at the mess once more. Grunting she kicked the remains of her endeavor in disgust. Turning to Starscream she announced, “If that one comes back I’m eating him, too!” With that she took off to the sky, leaving Starscream in her dust. Grinning at her resolve he took off after her, wondering if he’d be able to watch the show again.

His crash site was closer, or what was left of it. This was the first time he had seen it and was taken aback. ‘How did I survive this….?’ He stood in shock as he scanned the debris. At least her ship still had a bit of the cockpit left. This looked like a junk pile, a dumping ground. Knightflyer noticed his optics going wide like saucers and came up beside him, touching his shoulder lightly. Shaking his head he looked at her and went to grasp her servo on his shoulder but stopped himself.

“We have a mission, don’t we?” he stated, walking forward to inspect the leftovers. Scanning the area his sensors detected the materials that were usable and those that would suit their purpose. There wasn’t much but at least it was a start. Gathering up the few parts he could find he turned around to see her watching him. “This is about what there is here,” he held out the small collection to her. She took them from him, nodding. “Shall we move on?” he asked, his voice almost shaken. Nodding again she waited for him to take off. He turned and looked back at the site once more, before taking to the air. She followed his lead but stayed a few paces behind him.

‘Guess he wasn’t ready to see that...’ she thought. It had obviously bothered him but she wasn’t going to press him on it at the moment. She had forgotten he had been blind up until the first cave and didn’t see the extent of the wreckage. She herself had wondered how he had lived through it. Keeping her thoughts to herself she followed him without a word.

Soon they arrived at her site, setting down near the chunk of the cockpit he had laid her on before. Knightflyer laid down the collection in her arms on it and saddled up beside him as he scanned the piles of wreckage. He took a few moments before he started walking around picking up seemingly random pieces. Noticing her standing there, not having a clue of what to grab, he began pointing to parts for her to collect. By doing this it didn’t take long before there was a huge pile of scrap and not enough arm room. Remembering her cable trick from before she went about pulling and cutting every piece she could. Wrapping it all together the bundle was still huge but now manageable. Fashioning handles of the two ends she gave him a smile. His face was still looked a little washed but he tried to return a smirk in approval. Each grasping a handle they took off in unison and headed for base.

The seeker kept recalling the leftovers of his ship and had to repress a shudder. He knew it had to have been bad but...that was horrific. It took all he had not to shake at the memory. The reality that he may not even have had a chance to be blinded, mangled and alive was terrifying. He had come inches to death and survived. In poor health, but he had lived. Lived and was able to be saved by this femme. The femme that treated him as an equal, regardless if he deserved it. Stealing a glance in her direction he sighed. ‘Yup, I’m in sooo much slag.” He reminded himself just as she looked at him. Faceplates heating up he snapped his optics forward again and kept focused on the journey to base…home...


	25. Chapter 25

The whole excursion had taken about five hours. As they set down Knightflyer groaned as she was reminded of what some big dumb animal had done to her grill…and supper. They placed the pile of metal on the other side of the entrance opposite the woodpile. The mech started sifting through it, placing different parts in small piles in a certain order. She watched him for a few minutes while he worked in silence. Seemingly absorbed in the work she decided she’d leave him to it and go get some fish. They were close and easy to catch. Retrieving the bowl from the cave she set it on the beach and waded in. She concentrated on her prey in order to not worry about her companion. He had been uncharacteristically silent since his crash site and she was concerned. She figured he had to sort things out on his own and left him to it.

Before long she had a bowl full, minus a couple of escapees, and came back to shore. She set the fire and made a few skewers. After staking the fish and setting them over the fire she went back to the mech's side, still absorbed in organizing and analyzing. She noticed there was a large grouping of different small piles close to each other. To the side there was a small one spaced quite a bit farther from the large one. She was about to ask about it when he snapped out of his focus and noticed she was beside him again. A wisp of smoke caught his attention and he saw she had done a lot without him. Looking at the stakes over the fire his wings almost sagged.

“You fished without me...” he said out loud and almost clasped his servo over his mouth. ‘Now my vocal processor is betraying me!’ he lamented in his head. He was surprised that much time had passed as he looked at the sky and saw the sun was beginning to set. He forgot what it was like to be absorbed in work. His work. Things that he enjoyed, or just wanted to do. He vaguely remembered Skyfire scolding him about not taking care of himself properly during those times. His focus would almost become an obsession and take priority over himself.

“It’s ok,” she laughed. “You’re busy with this and I wouldn’t know what to do with this stuff anyway.” She picked up a part he had already started to assemble and turned it over in her hand. “We may be the same age spark wise,” pointing to her head, “practical knowledge on the other hand...” she handed the piece back to him standing up.

He watched her go to sit by her fire, tending her meal. He had been in a daze since his crash site she must have thought he was malfunctioning. He remembered the parts where scrap identification and collection were concerned but not much else. Looking at his groupings of parts and materials he knew he was trying to push the image of his vessel out of his mind. He knew this pattern. He had to take a break.

Disconnecting from his work he moved to sit by the pit with Knightflyer. She had to resort to primitive means again as some animal had ruined her appliance. Remembering the odd pile of parts he had set aside this would be remedied quickly. She had retrieved the few pieces from before from the cave and was nibbling on them as she waited for the other course to be done. The purple light danced across her face and curves as the sun continued to set. ‘Can’t believe it’s that late already,’ he said to himself.

“I’m sorry...” he spoke out of nowhere. “I wasn’t…ignoring you before. My crash site…it was worse than I had imagined” he started to clench his fist in the dirt as he spoke, trying not to give his disturbance away. A wave of self-pity had washed over him. He had survived to be stranded in some pit forsaken place with no means of rescue. Stranded with… suddenly the hand in the dirt was being gently squeezed by another servo and he looked at it. She had seen him upset and was trying to reassure him, somehow. His optics snapped up to see hers looking at him softly.

“It’s ok.” She said gently. “I was surprised to find you after I saw…that. Just goes to show you’re tougher than you look!” she let go of his hand and gave him a slap on the back. He choked, out of holding his breath and the jarring sensation between his wings. Pausing for a moment she held back a chuckle, “Maybe” she said winking. Composing himself he gave her a deep nod.

Focusing on her meal she checked the fish and started to clean them up. The seeker sat and watched the fire, glad that he could witness its beauty and other sites… She finished her repast and threw the sticks into the fire. Stretching she stood up and looked at the cave. “Think I’m turning in for the night. Coming ?” she gestured with a thumb. The seeker looked at the entrance but with a purpose again he didn’t want to waste time.

“You go ahead,” he said. “I’ve got work to do here. Rest well.” With that, he got up and returned to his piles of stuff. Waving she retreated into the cave and before long he could hear her soft venting from outside. He smiled upon hearing the sound. Getting up he peered inside to see her optics offline and her laying on her side. Turning back he bypassed the main pile of scrap and instead began to organize a pattern out of the small odd one. The sun had now set and the sky was alive with the stars and reddish-green light. The fire was now going out and although he didn’t need to use it to see he added a good number of logs to it and grinned as the purple blaze roared back to life. Turning back to task he began assembling what had nothing to do with the distiller.


	26. Chapter 26

This time sleep came easy and peaceful to the femme. No nightmare visions or confusing messages. Just sweet oblivion. She woke up just before the sun started to rise. ‘Wow, I must’ve needed that if I’m awake already’ she thought as she stretched. Looking around the cave she didn’t see Starscream. ‘Did he recharge already?’ she wondered. Picking herself up she walked outside to see him where she left him, nose stuck in a pile of junk. Looking at his progress she started to wonder about his fabricating skills. He had only worked through about 1 % of what was there the night before and apparently was at it all night. ‘Some genius,’ she scoffed as she constricted her optics.

Her opinion quickly shifted as she looked to the fire pit. There was a grill! An Uber one, at that. It was large, sturdy and had 3 different tiers to it. Every rung was evenly spaced ...and sanded perfectly smooth. The evidence was on the strange-shaped rocks on the ground. She stared at it for at least a whole minute. ‘He did this for me?’ she was surprised beyond words. She looked over to where he was working, completely absorbed in his work. ‘How long did he work on this?’ she wondered since he hadn’t made much progress on the actual project. Unable to contain her joy she sprinted over to him, snaking around his body to hug him tightly. Without thinking she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up.

“Thank you so much!” she bowed deeply before bouncing back to her present. Placing a servo on the side of his face she had kissed he watched her buzz around the thing he worked on for most of the night. He couldn’t suppress a smile watching her reaction. After all, he had hoped it would cheer her up after that animal had smashed hers. However, he wasn’t expecting such an open show of appreciation. Rubbing his faceplate he could still feel her lips there, even though it had been over in nanoseconds. ‘I must be malfunctioning….’ He sighed as he watched her closely examining every detail of his work.

Suddenly she faced him, “I’m going hunting!” she yelled saluting and took off across the river disappearing in the trees. He was tempted to follow her but when he got to get up he realized he was getting low on energy. Skyfire’s scorns resounded in his processor. He had neglected his power levels and was paying the price now. He knew it wouldn’t be long before she was back so he leaned against the rocky wall of the outcropping and gazed in the direction where she ran to. As he offlined his optics he recalled her kissing him and soon was recharging peacefully.

It seemed like only a moment had passed from when he had closed his optics to recharge when alerts were peaking to wake him in an emergency. He became aware as soon as he was struck against something hard and unyielding. With a crash, he landed onto the rocky, riverbank. Pain sensor warnings were screaming through his processor as he onlined his optics. As they focused he saw one of those huge beasts that Knightflyer had felled facing him. Before he had time to react it charged and had him in its jaws, teeth sinking into his armor plating.

“Aagh!” he screamed as he pointed his other arm cannon at it and fired. Where ever he hit it the creature howled and released him sending the mech rolling across the rocky beach. When he stopped rolling, his lower half was in the river. Trying to push himself up he found his left arm was damaged, making it difficult. He got to his knees and felt the other pain alerts coming from his midsection. Looking down he saw Energon seeping from various holes in his plating and cockpit. ‘How dare this beast injure me!’ his mind raged as he staggered to his feet, squaring off with his offender. He readied his good arm cannon to fire as the creature charged him but it wouldn’t fire.

“Slag!” he cursed, realizing he was too low on energy. As he braced himself to take on the charging beast a flash of silver flew over him and collided with the monster, sending it onto its back, flailing. Then he saw Knightflyer tearing it to pieces as it shrieked. “Primus,” he rasped as he watched her make short work of the creature. Soon it stopped moving and she stopped, holding her readied clawed servo over it, venting heavily. Lowering her arm she looked at him and the look of blood lust disappeared and was replaced with shock. As their optics met he sank to his knees. She leaped from its body and raced to his side.

“Starscream!” she cried. Wrapping her arm around his shoulders she held him pulling him to his pedes. She guided him from the river into the cave, setting him down against the rock wall. He watched her fuss and look over his injuries in an energy-deprived fog. She apparently sensed his levels were low as she rushed to get a transfusion going. After she connected their ports he reached out and took her hand. It was shaking. She locked her optics on his and he saw fear in them.

“You said it yourself, I’m tougher than I look,” he forced a smile through the pain. Releasing her hand he looked at the cave ceiling. “It’s my fault. I didn’t recharge as I should have and ignored my levels.” Turning his optics to hers again he saw they were brimming with lubricant. His spark froze, not knowing what to do. Their optics were locked for a moment before she threw her arms around him. She trembled through stifled sobs.

“No! It’s my fault!” she wailed into his chest plates. “If I hadn’t made such a big deal over my…piece of shit…! You wouldn’t have exhausted yourself. I’m sorry! I should have been here…” she trailed off as she sobbed more. She was genuinely upset and it made him feel cold. Without thinking he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He felt her freeze so he stroked her head, his servo gliding over her silky hair. She broke from his grasp and stared into his optics, feeling pulled closer to him. But it wasn’t him and it wasn’t her doing it. ‘Oh shit!’ was all she could think before a flash of light cascaded around them and then everything went black.


	27. Chapter 27

Starscream woke with a start, the image of the beast attacking him, vivid and terrifying. He sat up ready to counter, finding he was in the cave. Sighing he sat back and found a weight shift against him. Looking down he saw Knightflyer was slumped against him, unconscious. The events from earlier raked across his processor. With no pain sensors going off he examined his damage…to find there was none! No dents, no punctures, no Energon line ruptures. ‘What is going on?’ he thought as he tried to get his senses. They were still connected by their Energon ports. His levels were maxed and he was awake so he quickly disconnected himself from her. He carefully laid her on the cave floor, avoiding the Energon mess that had obviously come from him.

He backed away from her, trying to make sense of…everything! There was no way he could’ve been repaired with no facilities or equipment to do so. ‘That light...’ he remembered the soft flash before he went unconscious. ‘Like before...’ his mind trailing into the impossible. A miracle was the only explanation for this but his rational mind couldn’t accept it. After all, that would make the ‘miracle’ count 3 total, so far. Getting to his feet he went outside to find the sun at the mid-day point and the beast that attacked him still on the beach, in ruins.

He heard scuttling in the cave and rushed to see Knightflyer was awake, her optics wide in panic. It disappeared when she saw him and she threw herself into his frame knocking them both to the ground. She lay on top of him, grasping his pectoral slats, shaking as lubricant leaked from her sockets.

“I thought…you…were...gone…this time…” she sobbed against his frame. The femme stopped speaking and just held on as tight as she could. In confusion and fright, it was all she could do. In the back of her mind, she knew what had happened but couldn’t tell him so this was all she could do to comfort herself. She stilled when she felt a servo stroke her hair…again. Looking up through foggy, lubricant stained optics, she met his.

“We have to stop meeting like this” he coyly whispered.

Her fear was replaced with mortification as she realized the position they were in. Frantically she scrambled off him, to her feet and backed away a few paces. The mech stood also, flexing his joints as he strode to her. Lowering his head beside hers he took a low tone, “I know this isn’t the time but were going to have to discuss this…at some point.” Standing straight he gave her a sincere smile, hoping it wasn’t creepy. Backing away he glanced in the direction on the animal’s body. “Thank you, by the way,” he offered with a half bow.

Forcing herself to try to get some composure she looked at the beast she had rendered. She was halfway back, carrying another one similar when she had heard his cry. She had dropped her previous kill to bolt for home, finding another large one set on Starscream. She remembered her instincts take over and all she saw was red as she pounced on the animal and tore it apart.

‘Oh, god! He saw that!’ she realized as she looked at him. He was looking at the body on the beach, silent. Suddenly he leaned down, grabbed one of its limbs and begun to drag it toward her fire pit. She watched as he got it close and stopped to look at her. “Th..thank you.” She stammered. ‘Shit the other one’ she remembered the first kill that day. “I got another one…before! I’ll be right back!” she said as she back peddled and took off across the river, flying over it and the tree line. ‘What a mess!’ she swore in her head. She zeroed in on the body and swooping down grabbed it by a leg and headed toward base.

When she got back she found a sight she never expected. Starscream was using a sharpened piece of steel to, attempt to, carve portions of the animal. He had even lit the pit and everything. As she set down the other beast she collapsed to her knees and fell on to her servos, venting shakily. Before she could comprehend what was happening she was scooped up into Starscream’s arms and was brought into the cave. She felt a hand on her forehead.

“Just as I thought,” his voice gentle and low. “ your Energon is low again. You need rest and energy.” She tried to get up but a strong hand held her firm. Looking in her eyes he cupped her cheek. “Rest now, don’t worry, I’m here.” She could’ve sworn she felt his lips on her forehead as she slipped into unconsciousness.


	28. Chapter 28

When Knightflyer came around her body felt heavy. Her energy levels were low and she was exhausted. Optics focusing she saw the jagged cave ceiling, remembering she was brought in by Starscream. An image of her in his arms made her stiffen then shudder. As she went to try to get up she heard a voice from the entrance.

“Don’t even think about it.” Starscream scolded, standing by the door. For a moment she was frozen in fear. He almost sounded like he used to, the times they fought in the war. The fear melted when she could finally see he was holding the ‘fishbowl’, filled overflowing with chunks of ‘monster’. Seeing her calm down a bit he walked in and brought it in front of her. “Not until you fuel up, first,” he said as he set it down and took a position sitting by the door.

‘Making sure I finish it eh?’ she chuckled to herself. “Thank you, Starscream,” she smiled at him as he nodded back, crossing his arms. As she ate she tried not to stare at his arms. He had been damaged by that monster and it was obvious “it” had happened again. He had finally clued in apparently it was her doing by his statement before. Her attempts at not staring weren’t working as the seeker followed her gaze and sighed, uncrossing his arms.

“So am I to guess I’m right, that you’re responsible for... this?” he said raising his arm and using it to gesture to his flawless chassis. She had stopped chewing the meat her mouth and her eyes went blank like someone had flicked an off switch. Softening his tone the mech tried another approach. “Look, it was obvious something was going on, even if it made no sense. Also, the fact that every time… weird happened… you were right there. The least you could do is talk to me about it.” He leaned back, waiting to see if she’d give him a response, anything. Her mannequin impression was becoming worrisome. Then he heard her swallow and take a breath as she faced the floor.

“You’re right, but you have to, believe me, this has never happened before” she pleaded. “It seems to happen when I’m terrified or …I dunno. I don’t have a fucking clue! The times …whatever it was…happened it felt like I was taken over, not in control of myself.” Wrapping her arms around herself she tried to calm down. The whole thing was frightening, but she wasn’t going to tell him about the matrix. That was a chance she couldn’t take, as was telling him that them being here in the first place might be her fault as well. Suddenly she felt pressure on her shoulder. Snapping up her helm she was face to face with the seeker, inches from his face. He smiled then pulled back from her.

“Thank you, for trusting me.” His voice was soft. He got up and started to leave the cave when he stopped and said over his shoulder, “if by some miracle we are rescued I won’t say anything. I owe you too much.” With that, he went outside the cave to think over what she told him. Sitting by the river he felt a little relieved that he had finally brought it up and she had actually answered him. Even if it did feel like she was holding back more he felt he should be satisfied with that for now.

Looking to the distiller he thought about finishing it but knew he was getting low on energy again. Multitasking between building it and trying to cook had worn him out. Especially trying something he’d never done before and had no reference of his own to compare to. In the end, he had wasted more than 75 % of the meat due to “overexposure”. He had seen her discard severely blackened pieces before and assumed they would be unsatisfactory. After he was done he had collected all the bones and burnt chunks and deposited them downstream a few miles away. He hoped this would prevent another incident. The mech got up and headed back into the cave. Sitting down close to where the femme sat finishing her last piece of meat he got settled to recharge. Giving her a nod he offlined his optics as he leaned against the cave wall.

Finishing her meal Knightflyer watched the mech, his face serene in recharge. She wanted so badly to tell him everything. If they were to be here for a long time she didn’t want to have to keep secrets from him. Especially the way he was acting. Considerate, kind, gentle…caring. He had taken care of her above and beyond what she would’ve even dared ask of him.

Crawling over to him she gently accessed his port and started a transfusion. It felt like there was a symbiotic relationship of sorts starting between them. Something that shouldn’t have been possible, but was there, clear as day. She had been trying to keep her guard up but now she didn’t know if she could anymore. ‘Besides, it’s HIM. Even if I wanted…something…from him, he wouldn’t feel the same.’ The thought saddened her. To see someone every day, wanting them, but never having anything coming from it. Like Hot Rod…. Taking a deep breath she tried to chase the feeling away. She watched him for a moment, making sure he was still in recharge. Steeling her nerves she leaned in and gave him a kiss, close to his lips. Swiftly pulling back she waited for him to stir but he never moved. She settled beside him, waiting for the procedure to finish. Thinking about what she had just done she covered her optics with both hands, “I’m in sooo much slag…”


	29. Chapter 29

Starscream on lined his optics, expecting to have to chase down his companion for a transfusion. Instead, he woke to find her propped up beside him, leaning onto his shoulder. He grinned as she was making one of her weird recharge noises. Looking down his arm he saw she had already taken the liberty to start a transfusion. Carefully he disconnected their lines and tucked away cables. ‘To think I’d ever be tended to like this. By an Autobot, no less!’ the thought crossed his mind as he went to brush her faceplate. He stopped millimeters from her cheek, his mind and emotions warring in his processor.

His feelings told him to touch her, to want her, while his mind screamed it was a horrible idea! Just as it did when he brought her into the cave to get her to rest. He knew he hadn’t made a conscious decision to kiss her forehead, he had just done it. After he was terrified she was awake enough to remember. She never brought it up so he thought he was in the clear. He was both sad and relieved she hadn’t. He tried to get up without rousing her but she stirred as he moved so he settled back down. Watching her optics come online he thought he’d have some fun.

“Good morning,” he said, putting on the silky tone from the other day. At first, she smiled then optics widened in shock as she realized she was leaning on him. “Actually it’s more like late afternoon,” he laughed at her expression. Frantically she pushed herself away and pretended to be confused. Looking at her arm she knew she was busted. Her faceplates heated as she saw he had disconnected them and was probably sitting there…watching her sleep. ‘Just when I thought he could be charming...creep!’ she thought. Starscream got to his feet and offered her a hand up. “Thank you for the transfusion” he winked. She took it sheepishly and instantly retreated outside of the cave. Looking around the site it was clean as there were no remains of the creatures she had killed. Also, the various piles of scarp were gone, save for a large vessel standing where it all had been. He saw her notice so he stood proud and gestured to the camp.

“I was able to 90% complete the still with what we brought back. I’ll need a few more components but I’m sure I can make them. And I relocated the remains of the corpses of the beasts. Hopefully, there aren’t any more unwanted house guests if we continue that practice.” In his bluster, he almost missed the femme search around the cooking pit. He assumed she was looking for the rest of the flesh. “I had a few…mishaps…trying to perfect your method” he choked out fidgeting. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Hey! It’s not like I took training for it!” he said defensively. She laughed at his aggravation and waved him off. 

“It’s ok, Starscream. It would have gone to waste anyway. I should just leave those bastards alone,” she said quietly looking at his cockpit. Snapping her head up, she stretched. “First things, first. I need to clean up. I’m still covered in monster and dirt. I’m going to head for the falls for a little bit I’ll be right back.” She turned to take off but the seeker stopped her with a tug at her wrist. Shocked she turned to him.

“I’ve been thinking...” he nervously started. “We should stay together in case of unforeseen occurrences or maybe sync our coms.” He didn’t know why he was uncomfortable bringing it up. It wasn’t like he was asking her to be his conjunx endura, but it sure felt that way. “It would make the co-ordinating material collection, research excursions, etc. easier.” He hoped his reasons were enough justification and not the fact that he worried about her now but wasn’t willing to admit it.

After a moment she nodded and took his right wrist in her hand and he did the same. Another type of port opened and connected their wrists for a few seconds, exchanging data. It was a little strange for Knightflyer. This was the first time she’d done this and it felt raw, almost intimate. When it was done their arms disconnected and she rubbed her wrist for a moment. Nodding the mech backed away smiling, “good. I'll contact you in a little while to make sure it worked. In the meantime, I’ll be going to get more materials.” Giving a weird salute he took off in the direction of their entrance to the valley ahead of her. Sighing she took off as well, she could practically hear the hot spring calling her name. 

It only took her a few minutes to get there and she landed straight into the pool. She got to work scrubbing the dirt, blood…and Energon of her plating. She was so thankful for finding this spot. The one comfort she could still enjoy even on an alien world. Closing her optics to relax her mind was flooded with a vision of him kissing her forehead in the cave. ‘Oh my god! No! Nope….that was a fevered dream! Yup! That’s what that was!’ she tried to convince herself. Being around him this much was making her imagination go crazy with thoughts and fantasies that were just torturing her. ‘Of all the mechs in the universe I had to get lost with…’ she sighed trying to relax again. She focused on the roar of the waterfall, the trickle of the water along with the smooth stone, the scent of the steam…

“Starscream to Knightflyer” his voice shattered her nirvana with the grace of Grimlock.

“Jesus!!” she shrieked.

“Who!?” the seeker quickly inquired. “Is there someone there…!?” 

“No! There’s no one here, Starscream. You startled me, that’s all.” She was embarrassed to hell that she had forgotten about the com connection. ‘So much for privacy.’ Clearing her throat she responded, “Anyway, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to let you know I’ll be heading back soon. Want me to grab anything with less than 8 legs on my way?” Knightflyer didn’t know how to answer at first. ‘Like phoning your wife to see if she wants something from the store,’ she had a weird image of Starscream landing on a grocery store in jet form. She couldn’t help but chuckle. She forgot to silence her end and he must’ve heard it. “What’s so funny?” she heard him say.

“Oh, nothing! Um...no! I think I’ll just fish later. Less messy.” That was true and right now she didn’t feel like going after anything big. “So…I’ll see you back at ho… um, base! Uh, over and...out?” she squeaked awkwardly. ‘Oh, my god! What was that?! I need a lobotomy!’ she face-palmed herself hard.

“Rodger that,” he was trying his best not to laugh at her stumbling over her words. “See you later”. He cut off the call and couldn’t help but feel like he wanted to hear her call it home, their home.

Knightflyer had quickly washed her hair in the falls and headed back to base to get started fishing. Just as she was going to wade into the water Starscream returned carrying both a bundle of scrap and a bundle of wood. Good thing because she hadn’t noticed how much he had used the night before. He set down the metal by the still, the wood by the small pile left from before. She watched him go into the cave, emerging with the ‘fishbowl’. She smiled at him and without a word she waded into the center of the river as he sat at the river’s edge. For the better part of an hour, they fell into a silent rhythm of her catching and tossing while he watched or caught. After the bowl was full she lit her fire and got to work setting them on her uber grill as Starscream went back to tinkering with the still. She joined him for a minute to see what he was doing.

“Well this last component will be able to extract the energon from the mineral it’s adhered to, after it’s crushed, of course.” He picked up a rock and squeezed it to dust. “I think that part should be easy” he winked to her. “Once it’s separated the rest of the machine will break it down to its basic chemical form. We might get a drink out of it or get blown up” he shrugged. She looked at him questioningly. Putting up a hand he reassured, “I’m sure it will be fine.” She watched him for a bit until she got bored. She wasn’t a scientist, after all. Her meal was done as the sun began to set. She ate while Starscream worked away. After she was done she stoked the fire and threw in the bones. She washed her hands and the bowl in the river then returned to the pit. Leaning against the outer cavern wall she watched him work, tinkering away. She was so content she didn’t notice her optics dim and herself fall asleep.

Starscream was soon done and turned to give her the news but saw her slumped, venting softly. The sun had set hours ago and he couldn’t let her recharge outside, not with those beasts out there. Putting away his materials he went to her side, picked her up and took her into the cave. Instead of setting her down on the ground he lowered himself to the cave floor, keeping her in his arms. Leaning his back against the cave wall he lowered his helm to rest on hers. His processor screamed at him this was wrong. That he shouldn’t let this happen. He knew he was getting attached to her and was getting tired of fighting it. Sighing heavily he off lined his optics and fell into recharge.


	30. Chapter 30

For the next week, they fell into a routine of co-operation. She would hunt and he would bring back fuel for her fires, as well as ore samples to try to distill. Sometimes they would go collect the ore together, co-ordinating with their coms. After kills, she would go to the hot spring to clean up and return to find he had started her pit for her. While she cooked he would work on crushing the mineral samples and getting the still to work on breaking them down. He started collecting combustibles up to 5 x a day since his contraption took a lot of energy. After nightfall, they would go together into the cave to settle for the night.

They had started to actually have normal, casual conversations concerning each other. She told him about her life as an organic, her life growing up feeling different and how isolated she had felt. She even went into detail about the horrors the doctors put her through after she was put under lockdown. Starscream had to repress a shudder trying to imagine what it had been like. It sounded akin to Decepticon torture. 

Eventually, their discussions focused on him and he told her about the early days of Cybertron, its glory and its downfall. He tried to focus on politics, something she obviously hadn’t been explained to in detail. He eventually got to his reasons for joining the Decepticon cause and his later regret. The seeker surprised himself with his total honesty. He had never thought he’d reveal his true feelings about the war and how it was a waste of life, energy and time. After a while, they would settle in for recharge. She had taken to set up the transfusion lines to work during the offline times and had taken to recharging beside him, sometimes falling asleep leaning on his shoulder. Needless to say, he wasn’t complaining. 

By the end of the week, they were both comfortable in their daily routines, to the point of normalcy. Starscream had gathered another load of ore and instead of hunting, Knightflyer opted to fish. After the fish game she set down to cook them up and he settled into his crushing routine. After she had finished with the fire pit she got up and offered him a hand.

“That’s ok.” He answered putting up a hand. “I’m about done here. It won’t be long before we know if it works.” Narrowing her optics she huffed.

“Well, in that case, I’ll go to the hot spring. Don’t want to be too close to the blast radius, do I?” she jeered giving him a wink. She then turned around and took to the air.

“Very funny!” he called after her. He frowned for a moment. ‘I hope she really doesn’t have that little faith in my engineering skills,’ he worried. The machine started to make a high pitched whistle and he readied himself in case she was right. After a moment the sound ceased and he inspected the equipment. The level window showed the reservoir was almost full of...something. Taking a piece of sheet metal he fashioned it into a crude jug and started to pour off the liquid. ‘Well it’ll either be Engex or poison’ he reasoned. He was about to try it but stopped, thinking of his companion. She had just as much part in this project and figured she’d be upset if he didn’t involve her in the first test of the machine. So taking the jug in hand he took off to the spring.

He found her lounging in the steaming water, optics offlined. He held the jug behind his back, walking nonchalantly up to the pool. She opened her optics as he approached. With a devilish grin on his face, he sauntered to the edge of the pool and stepped in standing in front of her. A worried expression crossed her face as he stood there, silent. In a flourish, he presented the jug with a bow. Her optics lit up as did her faceplates, broadened into a huge grin.

“Oh, my god! It’s done??!” she stood up excited and went to take it from him. As she did he playfully dodged it out of her hands. 

“I was going to test it myself but I thought it was an experience best shared,” he announced. “Now remember this could be high grade or possibly indigestible horror!” he warned her. Holding the container out to her he offered her the first sip. She seemed to be weighing the pros and cons for a moment until she snatched it up in a flash.

“Skoal!” she exclaimed and took a big gulp. Her optics went wide and she froze in place. Half choking she swallowed and looked at the jug. “Wow!” she rasped. “That’s some good shit!” she exclaimed as she took another huge gulp. As she lowered the jug her faceplates heated up from the powerful beverage.

“Hey! Save some for me!” Starscream reached out and took the jug back. ‘Can’t be that bad if she liked it’ he figured so he took a huge gulp himself. Instantly he felt his tanks signaling warnings that there could be imminent damage as the strength of the liquid was verified. He choked and sputtered as it went down his intake, almost burning his insides. After a few seconds, the pain was gone and a wave of warmth and relaxation washed over him. It was good! After the initial experience, the next sip was far more palatable.

Sitting beside where the femme stood he offered the jug back to her. She sat down and took it from him for another sip. For the next few hours, they sat and watched the sunset, taking in the dark beauty of the planets nightfall. Without realizing it the mech had stretched and let his right arm rest over Knightflyer’s shoulder. This time she didn’t freeze or scramble away. Instead, she leaned into him and he squeezed her close as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


	31. Chapter 31

The next morning they both learned a lesson in moderation. With the crude distilling process and materials, they made the high grade from they could’ve called the stuff plutonium. They had made their way to home base zig-zagging through the trees, Starscream actually flying face-first into a few. The pair had stayed conscience enough to stagger into the cave and fall into recharge where ever they fell. Both woke with helm splitting headaches. Looking at each other with pained expressions neither spoke, fearing the acoustics of the cave. Knightflyer slowly shifted to the seeker and started the transfusion. Quietly they sat rubbing their foreheads. The femme looked at the seeker after a moment.

“Good shit, eh?” she whispered. All the mech did was wince as he closed off his optics. She did the same as she tried to remember the last hangover she ever had when she was organic. A vague memory of staggering back to her home from whatever bar she had been at, flashed in her processor. The dispersal of her Energon seemed to be helping her condition as the pain subsided to a dull ache. Looking over to Starscream had stopped rubbing his helm and his expression was more relaxed. ‘Wish I had this hangover cure back then,’ she thought as her head cleared. After a few more minutes she disconnected them and got up to start the day.

“Think I’m going for a cruise, take a look around a little further down the valley,” she said stretching. She had been curious as to what was out there. They hadn’t ventured farther than the mountain where he had found the Energon particles since the still became a priority. Looking back to the seeker he had a worried expression on his face. “Don’t worry,” she assured him. “We got the coms now so I’ll check in while I’m gone.” Starscream nodded as he picked himself off the ground.

“Alright,” he sighed trying to find something for himself to do. “I’ll go back to the crash site and look for some more materials. Maybe I can fine-tune that...thing” he tilted his head to the still outside. Together they walked outside to see more cloud cover than usual in the sky. To Starscream, this seemed almost ominous. Pushing the thought aside he turned to the femme and with a wave, he took off towards the falls. Following suit, Knightflyer did the same in the other direction.

She soared past the peak where the beacon was set. ‘Oh, yeah! I forgot about that thing.’ She thought to herself. She had assumed the seeker had been checking it so she didn’t think anything of it. For the better part of an hour, she followed the twists of the river, scanning the ground for animals and any evidence of any other life. A sudden updraft drew her attention to the horizon where she saw a massive black cloud formation steadily headed her way. ‘Fuck!’ she thought remembering the first storm they had encountered on the first day they had arrived. The updraft soon turned into a ferocious gale. Turning around she turned her thrusters on full to try to stay ahead of the storm but as the shadow of the incoming horror gained on her, she began to worry. 

“Hey! Come in!” she yelled in through the com system. “Just thought I’d let you know there’s a mother of a storm on the way. I’m heading for home!”

“Rodger that!” she heard Starscream’s voice, sounding a little nervous. ‘‘Be careful. Meet you at…home” he said nervously. Off lining her end she smiled through her fear. The way he referred to their base as home had made her spark skip. 

The storm intensified as she pushed through it, the wind threatened many times to toss her into the ground or the mountain faces. Straining to stay the course she focused on the direction she needed to be and felt she would make it. That was until the lightning struck. A bolt had shot past her by inches and she realized she was in trouble.

As she passed the peak she remembered the beacon and paused. ‘Bad idea…’ she told herself. Making a split-second decision she veered for the peak, fighting the wind and now torrents of rain as she climbed through the atmosphere. As she reached it the wind caused her to slam into the surface next to the device. Crawling to her feet she snatched it up, made a very messy take off and headed for base camp. Shielding the beacon in her arms she made a run for the home stretch as she saw their base in view through sheets of rain.  
Suddenly she was knocked out of the sky, not by the wind, but a bolt of lightning. As she fell to the ground she gripped the machine to herself. She hit the rocky shore of the river so hard it knocked the device out of her grasp as she rolled 20 feet along the jagged rocks. On lining her optics she looked ahead to see the machine a few feet away and the entrance to the cave in the distance. She tried to get up but didn’t have the strength. She was in trouble. Reaching for her comlink she tried to find her voice.

“Help….’’ She rasped

“Knightflyer! Where are you?!” his panicked voice cracked through.

“...outside… cave…” she managed to squeak out before she felt herself going unconscious.

The mech had made it back to the shelter in record time after the news of the storm. On Earth, he had grown to fear and hate electrical storms. For some reason on organic planets, they were more severe and far more unpredictable. After finding the cave empty he had started pacing, waiting for her to show up. He was about to radio her when her weak message had come crackling through the interference. As her voice had trailed he rushed to the mouth of the cave and was hit by a barrage of rain, wind, and rocks. The flashes of lightning almost shorted his optic sensors as he strained to find her. Every strike of lightning threatened to hit him but he forced himself to step forward scanning for the femme.

Then he saw her, lying face-first on the beach. As he pushed through the sheets of rain and wind he saw the beacon lying in front of her. Ignoring it he got to her and crouched in front of her. “Hey!” he tried to rouse her but she didn’t move or make a sound. Reaching under her left arm he pulled her up enough so he could hold her up and started dragging her for home. Getting to the beacon he left it behind. When he finally got her to the cave he checked to make sure she was functioning and heard ragged venting. Running back out of the cave he bolted for the device, grabbing it as he spun on his heel to return back to the cave. Diving in, he avoided a bolt as it struck the outside of the cave.

Lying in the dirt he looked at the beacon and disgusted, he tossed it in the corner of the cave. Getting to his feet he rushed to her side and started to asses her condition. Her left-wing had obviously been struck by a bolt of lightning as it was completely scorched. Nothing was melted but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any damage elsewhere. The scorch mark wrapped around her torso and ended close to her chest plating. ‘Her spark’ it was then he panicked. Hurriedly he began to scan for her spark pulse, fearing she had received a shock straight to her spark which could be fatal. He started shaking at the thought as he tried to scan her. He was so focused on looking her over he almost jumped out of his plating when she reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Maybe…I’m tougher than…I look too…” she whispered. Squeezing his servo she smiled weakly. “Gonna be ok. Repair...thingy, getting to work.” She let go of his hand and her optics went offline. After her reassurance, he calmed down enough to actually complete a scan. She was right, her spark seemed fine and her self- repair protocols were enacted. Her Energon levels were also stable.

He sat back in relief…and wept. He hadn’t realized how terrified he was before, when she called for help and he found her damaged. Also how she hadn’t been there in the cave when he returned. It had him severely unsettled at the time. He trembled as the shock had worn off and he couldn’t stop the lubricant from streaming down his face. He had come very near to losing her that day and he couldn’t handle how it made him feel. It wasn’t even just the fact that without her he’d be doomed to die from energon deprivation. It was the thought of being without her, period. Covering his optics he realized he had let her into his spark and now there was no going back.

He remembered the beacon. Looking at it in the dirt of the cave floor he crawled over and picked it up. ‘She risked her life for this thing?’ he said over in his head at least five times. Every time it angered him more and more. So much so, he was about to smash it into the cave floor. Remembering her laying across the room he stopped himself. He clenched his fist in frustration. He wasn’t used to caring about anyone, not for a long time, and he cursed himself for allowing it to happen in the first place.

Sighing in defeat he set the beacon in the corner again and crawled over to where she lay. Her venting had calmed down and she was even making her normal recharge noises. Her repair system was still functioning, but her energon levels had dropped slightly.

Taking her into his arms he scooted over to the cave wall and started an energon transfusion. He had plenty to spare for her, she needed more at the time anyway. Looking to the mouth of the cave he watched the rain tear through the air relentlessly and the lightning burn through the atmosphere. He was thankful this cave appeared to shield from the treacherous bolts. Turning back to the femme in his lap, propped up by one of his arms, he stroked her hair. He disconnected the transfusion and held the port on her arm. “I don’t deserve this.” He whispered, “I don’t deserve you,” he said as he placed a kiss on her lips, lingering far longer than he should. He didn’t care anymore. He knew if he wasn’t honest with himself or her, he’d go mad. Holding her close he offlined his optics and hoped the storm would be over when he woke.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof! realized today it's been a while since my usual "binge posting". got a little thrown off due to some reasons IRL that I won't bore you all with. to everyone following or just checking it out right now, thanks for sticking with me. as a reader, I know the frustration of waiting for an update as well as the guilt as an author working on a WIP. although with almost 90% sitting in my word processor I shouldn't make excuses lol. anyway, thanks to a fellow author lighting a fire under my aft I'm getting back on track. you know who you are ;). so, back to business!
> 
> pretty sure after the slow burn this story has been many can guess where we're headed. Mature content ahead! you've been warned! muahahaha!

Starscream came out of recharge with Knightflyer still in his arms. A quick check showed she was alright just unconscious. It was the start of the day cycle…and thank Primus!... the storm was over. Light streamed into the cave giving the mech a sense of assurance. Gingerly he shifted to set her on the cave floor, careful as he placed her head down. With a gentle brush of her cheek, he stood and left the cave. He had work to do.

He took off to ‘Deadfield’ and collected what he could of the dried wood. There wasn’t much left at this point after fueling the still. He stacked what he brought back then took off along the river bank, keeping his optics trained for any movement. Spotting some movement through the trees he dove through, landing on his pedes, skidding through the dirt. There he saw a couple of the smaller beasts she had used before so he figured they would suffice. Waiting until they lined up perfectly he shot through them both at once. ‘Why waste the energy?’ he patted himself on the back. Collecting the bodies he took off for home.

Once there he stoked the fire and got to work trying to portion them for the grill. Despite the recent practice he had he was still rusty. He worked as fast as he could, hoping she wouldn’t wake until he was done. He constantly trained his sensors to the cave, checking on his companion. It hadn’t taken long for the pieces to be done and he gathered them up in the ‘fishbowl’. Bringing it to the cave he saw she was still in recharge. Instead of waking her he sat down beside her and decided to recharge in passive mode. If she stirred he’d be alerted and would be able to attend to her right away.

He let his processor drift to random thoughts. The main one that kept coming up was what to say to her. How could he tell her, what she meant to him? His mind ran through various ways he could say it. Every time he played out a scenario it ended in disaster. ‘What should I expect…? I’m a Decepticon in her optics.’ He sighed. Letting reason go he imagined how she might run into his arms at his words and tell him how she felt the same. He thought of how he’d hold her, kiss her, and explore her. They would interface over and over. They would spend the rest of their existence here, on this alien planet, away from war and pain, in each other’s arms, forever.

The dream soon ended as his sensors signaled she was stirring. He stiffened and sat up, almost guilty for his daydream. He watched her optics come on line and smiled placing a servo on her helm.

“Welcome back,” he said with sincerity, his hand lingering. Despite her low energy levels she went to sit up and he assisted her. Placing her servo to her forehead she blinked and looked around, optics narrowed. 

“Remind me to never be outside…in that!” she rasped, bringing on a small coughing fit. As it subsided she felt something rubbing her back and realized it was Starscream’s hand. Looking up to his face she saw him smiling softly. As she composed herself she nodded, “thank you. I should’ve come straight back but,” she stopped remembering the beacon. She stiffened and frantically scanned around the cave but her optics weren’t co-operating in the dim light. Starscream placed a hand on her shoulder and gestured to it sitting in the corner of the cave. In relief, she slumped against his servo, which she felt go stiff.

He moved her to sit against the cave wall and brought the bowl to her. She took it gladly and started to dig in. A couple of bites in she stilled and looked to him and gave him a “thank you” with a full mouth. He just nodded and went to sit by the entrance of the cave, staring outside in silence. There was a tension in the air that could be cut with a knife and she could sense it. She tried to concentrate on her food but it was stifling. It felt like there was an aura hanging around Starscream she couldn’t place. He had been smiling before but now he seemed cold. She was confused. Then she remembered how he stiffened at the mention of the beacon and now she had even more questions.

She set down the bowl, put off of her meal for the meantime. The tension made her tanks feel like they were being twisted. Glancing to Starscream she saw his gaze was fixed outside the cave, at somewhere she knew not where. Not sure what to do she fidgeted until she saw the beacon and crawled to it. As she picked it up she heard his voice, low and brooding.

“Why did you risk your life…for that?” he asked. She looked to him to see his fiery optics ablaze, crimson. He was staring directly at her where she sat. She felt like one of her prey, frozen in a predator's gaze. In a flash, he was on his feet and in front of her, his face inches from hers, his hot breath blasting from his vents.

Dropping the beacon she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. She had no idea what was going on and didn’t know if she should be afraid…or something else. She watched him grimace and grit his denta before turning around to slam his fists into the wall of the cave. She was terrified! ‘What the hell..?’ she thought.

“Why would you…risk dying over that...piece of garbage? It’s useless! You’re not!” he growled, his shoulders screwed tight, his wings drooping. He couldn’t control his rage and anger over his frustration. Striking the wall was all he could do to relieve it. He didn’t want to hurt her. Not her! He heard a shuffling of dirt. There was a horrible silence before she spoke.

“I know I’m not useless,” her voice wavered at every word. “To you, I’m just a battery, a way to stay alive. I’m fucking aware of what I am!” she shrieked as the cave echoed the pain in her voice. He flinched at her words and she saw they had hurt him. She was hurting too. She cared about him more than she should but she knew to deny it would do no good. She trembled, trying to stave off the flood of lubricant that threatened to erupt. ‘Why...? Why did I have to keep all of ...this?’ she scorned her weakness as she balled her fists at her sides. ‘If I was supposed to be something more than a human thing why did I keep this...need?’ she couldn’t hide her desperate breaths as she tried to stay strong. Screwing her optics shut she didn’t know what to do and hoped this was just a nightmare. Suddenly she felt thrust hard against the rock wall. Snapping her optics open she saw his inches from hers, lubricant straining from his sockets. His expression wasn’t in anger but desperation.

“I’ve never thought about you as a ...” his voice trailed off. Lost for words and horrified at his reaction he released her and backed away. The look on her face made him spin around, he couldn’t see her fear of him. He covered his face with his servos and tried to pull into himself. ‘This isn’t happening…I don’t know what’s happening!’ his mind raced. He didn’t know why he was reacting this way and the room felt like it was spinning. As he tried to get a grasp part of him let go of logic and protocol. He let his emotions take control and somehow found a voice again.

“The truth…the truth is I can’t live without you. Not just literally, in this situation...” He spun around to face her, letting the flood gates go from his optics. “In any situation! If we are rescued I’d gladly surrender to Optimus if it meant I’d have a chance of seeing you again. You being strong, healthy, happy...free! Even from behind bars! I’d choose that over never being here with you, like this, ever again!” he began to sob uncontrollably. “I’d take anything over being forced to see you captured by…HIM!” even the idea of Megatron now made him want to purge his tanks. Anger rising again he turned around and punched the rock again, one servo this time as he felt his strength waning. He couldn’t hide it anymore, his weakness, his feelings.

He turned to see her facing him, still in shock. He ran up to her, taking her shoulders in his grasp he held her as he pressed his lips to hers. He lingered for a few moments before he realized what he had done. Abruptly he released her and went to back away only to have her grasp his wrists. Both venting heavily they stared into each other’s optics for what felt like an eternity, the charge in the air palpable.

In a flash her arms wrapped around his neck as she took his lips on to hers, pressing hard. He froze for a moment, wondering if it was just a dream. Pressing into her kiss he felt her return it and he broke. Pushing her back he felt the pressure as he had her against the rock wall. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and right hand around the back of her neck. Pulling back from her mouth he on lined his optics to look at her. She was venting heavily, optics dim but open. He brushed her face with his servo and she took his mouth again, this time forcing her glossa into his mouth. Surrendering to her insistence he let her in and greeted her in kind. He relished the feeling, her glossa on his, dancing in a battle of lust. His left arm moved to rub against her upper thigh and she sighed.

His interface panel was threatening to open, the pressure already unbearable. He was already imagining what it would feel like to delve into her valve, tight and moist… ‘Tight’ that thought made him slow down. She was most likely not…familiar…with interfacing yet. She had just been severely injured as well. As he slowed down his ministrations with his mouth he caressed her back and worked his way up to her neck again. She quaked at his touch. ‘Thought so...’ he thought trying not to be frustrated. It stood to reason. He had his frame for a few millennia to explore. Her’s was brand new and, knowing the Autobots view on certain vices, was probably not briefed or experienced on what that would entail.

He wanted so badly to take her there and now but realizing the situation he fought to hold back. It was obvious, she wanted him as bad as he did her, but he didn’t want to spoil...something. Instead, he decided he’d show her how skilled he was at this kind of intimacy first. Gently taking grasp of her neck he kissed her deeply, making her moan sharply. ‘Still got it’ he thought as he plucked at her lips gently, moving to her neck and shoulder joint. She gasped as he sucked and nipped there at the cables and joints. Lapping with his glossa she shuddered and gripped his shoulders tightly. He sped up the pace of his mouth and was greeted with her wrapping her leg around his waist.

‘I might be in trouble...’ he realized but he wanted to see her enjoy something. He increased the pressure with his glossa on her neck and pushed into her cabling, sucking hard. She stiffened, throwing her helm back. Her ventilations were shallow and irregular. ‘Hmm, I wonder...’ he mused, wondering if she might be sensitive enough for an indirect overload. Not letting up on the pressure he held her wrists beside her helm, lapping as fast as he could. She started to wheeze, her body stiffening. Slowing down he broke contact to talk, “Are you alright?” he asked through ragged breath.

“Yeah!” she gasped, her chest plate heaving with intakes. Not hearing a “no”, he dove back to her neck, pulling, biting, and sucking at what he could find. Soon he felt her bucking against his frame so he sped up his pace. With every crash of her frame to his he picked up the pace until she whimpered into his audio receptor, so close to where he was working her. He forced himself to stop at the sound of her ragged venting, her frame heaving against his. Relaxing his grasp he cradled her head in his hand and looked into her optics. They stared at each other again for a while, this time the seeker kissed her forehead before pressing his helm to hers. He took her chin and tilted it up to face him.

“I know this is probably wrong…for both of us. But...I don’t care!” he said as he took her mouth again. Gentle but strong at the same time. Releasing her again he dropped his servo to rest on her shoulder. He was genuinely worried about her response so he waited for it. Expecting rejection he steeled himself. Instead, he was met with a kiss and a press to his helm as well. Her fingers had managed to snake between his at the same time without him knowing it. She spun around to face away from him, never breaking their contact, and as she went to sit he followed suit. He was propped against the rock wall with her resting against his chest plates. Before he had a chance to explain anything, she was softly venting in recharge. Smiling, Starscream wrapped his arms around her shoulders pulling her close as he leaned back. It was only midday by now but who was keeping track…


	33. Chapter 33

Knightflyer had fallen into recharge so fast she hadn’t had time to process what happened. Between his actions and her weakened state, she was beside herself. Her mind played through memories like a dream. The sweet explosive feeling continued to radiate through her body as the image of the mech pinning her to the wall danced through her processor. His lips and glossa caressing her neck seemed too good to be true. Until she woke to find maybe it wasn’t.

She felt hot air softly blowing past her audio receptors, and felt something wrapped around her. On lining her optics she looked down and saw two blue forearms coiled around her midsection, as well as two white slender legs on either side of her hips. Another small gust of hot air made it clear she was positioned in front of Starscream. Very close to Starscream! Her first instinct was to scramble free until she remembered her ‘dream’. The realization it had been real hit her like a freight train. ‘Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!’ she chanted in her head as she held her breath, completely awestruck. 

She had thought falling asleep in his arms had just been her imagination….like everything else! It took every ounce of concentration she had to not tremble uncontrollably. His steady venting on her neck was becoming maddening. It made her remember their hot and heavy episode earlier. ‘Ok! Not good!’ she panicked as she tried to gracefully squirm out of his embrace.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she heard a low voice come from behind her. She froze and her mind went blank trying to come up with an excuse, anything! Frantically she scanned the cave and found the neglected bowl from earlier.

“I….I…I forgot I didn’t finish that!” she nervously pointed to the bowl across from her. Sheepishly she peered over her shoulder to be met by the seeker gazing at her lazily, a sultry grin on his faceplates. Her body temperature spiked instantly. ‘I’m in soooo much slag!’ she affirmed. With a nod he released her. Knightflyer clumsily crawled over the bowl, picking it up as she stood on unsteady pedes. With her back still to Starscream, she tried to turn around but instead bolted out of the cave. Throwing her back against the outer cave wall she sank to the rocky ground, hyperventilating. She didn’t know what to do. She tried to recall his words from before when he had ‘jumped her bones’. “There’s no way….he couldn’t…could he?” she gasped as she tried to organize her thoughts under her breath.

Then she heard a heavy sigh from inside the cave. It shocked her into the present and instantly she felt like slag. She knew what rejection felt like. ‘Smooth move, dumbass!’ she spurned herself. ‘Ugh and there I was hoping…before…’ she couldn’t complete that thought as she slapped herself in the forehead a couple of times, hard. It must have taken all the courage he had to confess all that and she had just run from him like he had the rust plaque. Groaning she drooped her head at her own insensitivity. With determination, she set down the bowl, to run back into the cave, to fix this mess. Instead, she ran straight into the seeker's frame as he was leaving the cave. Surprised, she fell flat on her aft. “Ouch” she winced rubbing the offending area. Looking up, the femme saw the seeker was already crouching, an unsure expression on his face.

“I’m sorry!” \ “I’m sorry!”

The pair sat frozen, staring at each other. Neither knew what to do. Starscream’s normal cocksure attitude was completely non-existent as he nursed his emotional wounds. After Knightflyer had bolted from the cave he was at a total loss. He feared his rash actions had destroyed any hope of…anything. He wanted to apologize for yelling at her, for scaring her, for touching her…everything! He would even deny his true feelings if it meant things would go back to the way they were before. Anything to make this hole boring into his spark go away! The thought of them being here for an eternity with her hating or fearing him made him want to offline himself. ‘I’m such an idiot! How could I think she’d be open…to a… Decepticon…caring for her…that way!’ he had cursed himself just before he had stood to leave the cave, to make amends. Now here they were in a horrible and awkward standoff. For everything he wanted, he needed to say, he didn’t want to go overboard. 

“Uh…you first!” he stammered as his voice cracked, while he offered her a hand up. She stared at his servo for a couple of seconds before taking it and he hauled her to her feet. While making a veiled attempt to brush herself off her processor raced. ‘Great! Because he’s being a gentleman now I don’t know what to say!’ she cursed. She knew she needed to apologize for running out the way she did. Finding the right words was the hard part.

“Ok…..” she took a sharp intake. Deciding to go for broke she finally decided verbal diarrhea would have to do. “First off, I want to say I’m sorry for yelling at you, when you gave me shit for going back for the beacon. You made it…obvious you were worried and I was reckless for doing it. I should’ve considered that. And also for assuming you just thought of me as an Energon dispenser. The big one, though…” she trailed off before looking him square in the optics, “is I’m sorry for making you feel rejected. You have to understand…I’m not used to anyone…ever being that…passionate with me. Ever!” as the word passed her lips she heated up and dropped her optics again. “Even as an organic, I may have had feelings like that for others but nothing came close to how others felt for me.” She felt something under her chin as it was raised to have her optics meet his crimson ones. She felt lubricant slowly well behind them, “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking…of…” she couldn’t finish as she feared she’d start ugly crying or something. Starscream used his other servo to wipe away her tear with a gentle digit.

“I’m the only one at fault here. If I had better control over my anger… if I’d been honest before…” he paused to let her calm down more before he continued. “I didn’t mean to scare you or hurt you, or…violate you. Since I’d accepted the fact I’d probably never return to the Decepticons, I’ve gotten…comfortable here…with you.” Taking a deep intake he lightly grasped her left servo with his right. “Not living every day in battle, in war, in pain…I forgot what that was like! I’ve started to remember who I was so long ago…and I have you to thank for that. Being here…with you…I feel at peace…at last!” Shocked by his own brutal honesty his optics went wide and he almost bowed. “But! But! I don’t want you to feel pressured to…I don’t know!” letting go of her hand he turned around and vented heavily trying to find the words. After a moment he spun around to see she was patiently waiting for him to gather himself. Sighing he stood closer, “I don’t want you to think I was forcing myself on you or that I’m expecting…anything”. Lowering his optics he decided he’d shut up before he put his pedes in any farther.

Without warning she had thrown her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. A couple of seconds passed and then he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her closer to him. He could feel her spark pulse against his and he had to suppress a moan. Without doing anything else he buried his faceplate in the crook of her neck, squeezing her tighter. He took the loosening of her grip as a que and slowly did the same, realizing he had lifted her off the ground. Pulling back from him she gave him a broad smile.

“So, let’s just agree that the two of us have been giant aft-holes!” she said, laughing. Her statement made him laugh out loud and nod in agreeance. Straightening herself and lowering her voice, “And on the matter of the…other things…” she broached. “Could we maybe start over…and a little slower..?” she gave him a tender look. The look she gave him made him yearn to sweep her off her pedes and do anything but take it “slow”. Steeling himself he stepped back and bowed in a flourish, drawing a laugh of delight from the femme. “How chivalrous,” she jeered. He looked up with a devilish smirk.

“Anything for you, my lady,” he cooed with that silken tone again. He felt her freeze as she held his hand as her temperature shot up again. ‘Yup, still got it!’ he affirmed himself. She blushed through her faceplates and made a curtsy, giggling. He unconsciously scanned her vitals and realized her Energon levels were still low. Looking around he found the bowl by the rock face. Releasing her hand he strode to pick it up. With another bow, he offered it to her. Blushing she took it from him and sat against the entrance of the cave.

As she began to eat, easier this time with the earlier tension dealt with, the seeker fussed about her injuries. His scans showed her repair systems had taken care of most of the damage already. ‘Thank Primus!’ he sighed relieved. He turned to see the clear sky overhead and leaned against the smooth outer cave wall. Glancing to his side he watched his companion, his friend…fueling and it made him smile openly. He hoped this sense of peace…of love…would never end.


	34. Chapter 34

The rest of the day passed normally as before and Starscream was thankful. At least what passed as normal for them on this planet. Starscream had finally finished his scavenging mission and was at work trying to modify the still. They made it policy from now on that if there was even one cloud in the sky they didn’t leave the base. Possibly even the cave. That prospect didn’t seem so bad now, with the air finally being cleared. That was how Starscream felt anyway.

Despite her awareness of his feelings he still tried not to let it be obvious. She had asked for time to get used to the new situation and he promised to respect that. However, it didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun in the meantime. He had caught her watching him work so he gave her his most sultry expression. He was rewarded with her faceplates instantly go crimson as she fumbled with a stack of wood she was bringing to her pit. Laughing he softened his expression and flashed a sincere smile.

Shaking her finger at him in warning she strode towards the river, wading in. The seeker perked up and decided his tinkering could wait. He retrieved the ‘fishbowl’ from beside the pit and took a position on the shore. Knightflyer blushed again at the sight. To think the dreaded air commander of the Decepticon forces would be intrigued by such a mundane activity. ‘Not to mention have a gentle…caring side.’ She sighed. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the whole thing. She supposed it was natural two people marooned together would eventually develop a relationship. Natural or not, for her, it was completely unexpected. She must have had a strange expression on her face as the mech stared back at her, looking concerned. Shaking her head she waved and turned around to impersonate a ‘fish finder’. Seeming relieved, the mech sat on the shoreline.

They spent almost an hour with the ‘fish game’. This time she tried to make it interesting for him by ‘pretending’ to over or underthrow various catches. One was almost too short as Starscream had ended up falling into the river trying to catch the wriggler. She promised after that she’d be more ‘careful’.

“Best you do, my dear,” the mech cooed. “Otherwise I might have to punish you” he threatened with his sultry tone. She froze, letting the fish in hand at the time escape. ‘Gotchya!’ the mech congratulated himself. He was enjoying getting her flustered. He almost looked at it as payback for all the times she had worked him up into a hot frenzy. She did her best not to look him in the optics until the bowl was full and she had to join him on the shore. He offered her the bowl, giving her a smug look. Shyly she took it and went straight to light the pit.

Satisfied with himself he returned to his work. These little ‘games’ between them seemed to be relieving some tension. Staring at a half fashioned piece in his hand he realized this was the most relaxed he’d felt for a very long time. Their days had been spent in relaxed conversation and casual routine. The device he was building wasn’t a weapon of mass destruction. It had the potential to be dangerous, but that wasn’t his intent here. For the contentment he felt there he almost wished that rescue wouldn’t come. If it did it would mean their return to war, to pain…to death. Glancing in her direction he made a silent vow, ‘If there’s any way I can spare her from that…I’ll do it!’

Due to their awkward start to the day the sun was already on its way to set. Knightflyer had already finished up her fish and cleaned up the refuse. Despite her Energon levels being completely maxed she was exhausted. Her repair systems had finished correcting the damage the lightning had wrought. She lounged by the fire waiting for it to burn itself out. It was also a way for her to watch the mech and start to appreciate his handsome frame. She had been aware of how attractive he was before it seemed almost criminal. Now it was maddeningly tempting. Knightflyer had started to regret her initial request to ‘take it slow’. Partially due to her imagination, running wild and his innuendo fueled flirtations. The memory of their passionate encounter earlier made it worse and she had to stifle a moan. No matter how enthralled she was with the seeker sleep was trying to take her. So much so she fought to keep her optics on line. Finally, she gave up watching the “scenery” and picked herself off the ground. Yawning, she trudged to his side.

“I’m turning in,” she put a servo on his shoulder. “Just wake me up for the transfusion when you’re ready.” Stretching she turned around and headed for the cave entrance. Flopping on the stone slab on her side, she sighed heavily. Despite her exhaustion, she had hoped he’d join her soon. She was about to close her optics when she heard the seeker come into the cave. He stood still for a moment before walking across the room. Disappointed she sighed and sat up.

“Would you get over here?” she patted the spot behind her. Starscream stared at her for a moment then came over, taking the spot behind her. He gingerly slung his arm over her waist and she connected their ports. As she settled down once more he did the same, spooning up behind her. It was surprisingly comfortable. Soon he heard her soft steady venting as her frame relaxed. Pressing himself closer he drank in her heat and vibration. Off lining his optics he nuzzled his faceplates in the back of her neck. ‘I could get used to this,’ he thought as he went into recharge.


	35. Chapter 35

The “sleeping” arrangements became the norm for the next few nights, without incident. It was serving Knightflyer a way to get used to being close to Starscream and for him to get the contact he was craving. Partially, anyway. Although the seeker wondered if he should’ve regretted it the first morning as he woke with her sprawled across his frame, her leg slung just inches from his interface panel. He was suddenly reminded of her strange recharge behavior. Her hair was another issue entirely as on the second morning he was gagged to consciousness as it made its way down his intake. She had started implementing something called a “braid” after that. Other than that, life was routine and back to “normal”.

The “normal” was starting to bother Knightflyer. Every day it was the same. She’d hunt and manage the energy situation while Starscream would tinker and refine the still. Occasionally they would gather raw ore for the still together but that was about it. She still was curious about what was farther down the valley. Not knowing what resources and possible life could be waiting out there was beginning to make her irritable. While the mech seemed to be content with his daily rituals she was getting extremely restless.

So much so she went on a “big game” hunt and brought back one of the huge beasts that had ravaged Starscream before. The sight of the thing had made him very uneasy, but she was too absorbed with her carving of its flesh to notice. After her work at the pit was done she followed his practice and dumped the excess far downstream. She had even gone to the springs alone. Her stiff demeanor that day had Starscream worried. He wondered if he’d done something to upset her. When she returned, she went into the cave without as much as a word. Now he was really worried. It took a few minutes to screw up his courage to step into the shelter. The femme was curled up into a ball facing the cave wall. Sighing the mech sat on the ledge, not attempting to lie beside her just yet.

“I seem to remember a human proverb, “don’t go to bed angry,” I think is how it went.” He held his breath, fearing his attempt to joke may have backfired. The only response he got was a heavy, forced sigh. Trying again he tried to sound serious this time. “Come on. Tell me what’s bothering you. Whatever I did I won’t do it again.” Recalling his suggestion that she remove her hair from her helm for his safety he winced. “If it’s about the hair thing…” he stammered, “I didn’t mean it!” Another huff was heard before she abruptly sat up, giving him an annoyed stare. After a moment her optics softened and her wings drooped. Swinging her legs over the ledge of the stone shelf she hung her head. Catching a bewildered expression in her periphery she gave his knee joint a pat.

“I’m sorry, Starscream. It’s not you, it’s me.” Pausing, she mentally slapped herself for the cliché. “What I mean is…I’m getting a little restless, pent up.” Looking up at his face she regretted that sentence too as she thought she saw a lecherous smile creeping across his face. ‘For fuck’s sake! Get your words right, girl!’ she scolded herself. “What I mean IS other than coming this far we haven’t explored much, not even farther down the valley except for the engex ore. If it hadn’t been for the storm that day…” she trailed off as she saw the mech stiffen at the mention of it.

He immediately looked to the floor, trying to not think about how traumatized they were that day. He had been trying to analyze some data and try to figure out a possible pattern to the development of those devastating weather systems. He thought he had figured out one and looking at her pained expression he considered her frustration. His curiosity about the unexplored had been peaking as well as of late. Although he’d rather not risk getting trapped in the middle of one of those storms again he couldn’t stand to see her like this. Reaching out he cupped her cheek and smiled.

“Well I suppose we better get some rest,” he watched her face light up. “We’ve got a field trip to prepare for.” She tackled him as he finished his sentence, sending him backward onto the stone berth. She had her arms locked around his neck so he gave her waist a firm squeeze. Releasing him she quickly gave him a kiss on his lips and immediately scrambled off him after she realized what she had done. Noticeably flustered and embarrassed she sat balled up on the other end of the berth. Chuckling Starscream just moved and gave her sleeping spot a gentle pat. Relief washed over her frame as she inched over onto her side. She relaxed even more when after the transfusion was initiated he didn’t try to initiate…anything. Instead, he nuzzled her neck and held her close. The relief slowly turned into disappointment and frustration. ‘Me and my big mouth’ she lamented as she tried to ignore her longing and fall asleep.


	36. Chapter 36

Knightflyer had woken first and wasted no time getting ready to leave for the day, possibly a few. She had already done some fishing on her own and fueled up before Starscream stirred. He watched her buzzing around camp for a few moments. It was refreshing seeing her light-hearted again. She noticed him watching as she cleaned herself up quickly in the river. “Morning!” she called out to him, waving. Nodding, he looked around the camp. They didn’t really need any supplies. The essentials she would be able to acquire on the way. Glancing to the still, he had an idea…

It seemed pointless but they decided they should move the grill and still into the cave. It was a habit the mech had from before. ‘Don’t leave evidence for the enemy’ was the motto. Although in this case he just didn’t want one of those huge monstrosities messing with his handiwork. Hands on his hips, the seeker scanned the camp and then the sky. Not a cloud in sight. The mission was a go! Turning around he found Knightflyer was practically vibrating.

“So!? We going or what?” she said, not waiting for his reply as she waved as she ran down the river bank. Sighing through a smile Starscream took off after her on foot until she vaulted off a large boulder in her path. Soaring high she followed her path from before, banking with the twists and turns of the river through the valley. It felt good to have a new goal, even if it didn’t get them anywhere closer to rescue or escape. Judging by the smile on the seeker's face next to her it was doing him some good too. Noticing her stare he gave her a salute and sped ahead of her. The chase was on! She kicked up her thrusters to match his speed as he began to weave side to side. She mimicked him, mirroring his movements. He dove towards the rapids below pulling up sharply sending up a geyser of water behind him. As he got splashed he saw that she had stayed beside him during the maneuver and had sent up her own torrent.

His spark felt like it would burst! The idea of them dancing through the skies again, the idea they’d do it forever made him want to take her into his arms right then. She would be his trine now, his family. As they leveled off he drew closer to her side and waited until she looked into his optics. When she did he tentatively took her hand. She blushed but smiled and laced her fingers in his. Smiling broadly he looked forward and he led them on their way. They lost track of time and their goal as they kept each other’s pace perfectly. The scenery passed below them, mostly unnoticed. That was until it had become midday and Knightflyer realized they had been flying steadily for hours. 

They landed on a smooth rock surface beside an area thundering with the sound of violent rapids. Knightflyer took the opportunity to go on a short hunt and came back in 20 minutes with the same critter that she had eaten before. She was pleased to see Starscream had already gotten a fire going for her. While she waited for the beast to be cooked through Starscream opted for a passive recharge. She tried her best not to stare at his lithe form stretched out on the smooth rock, hands held up behind his helm. ‘Yup. It should be criminal that a mech can look like that,’ she confirmed as she felt a tingling in her body. Shaking her head she concentrated on her meal.

After a quick transfusion, they were on their way again. They flew over an area that widened into a lake. They were about to land to investigate when Knightlier spotted a group of the huge nasties from before lumbering around the shore. As Starscream balked at the sight they decided to avoid that area for the time being. From there they could make out what looked like the end of the valley in the distant horizon. Without saying a word they steered towards it, weaving between each other as they went.

It was nearing nightfall when they reached the cusp of mountains where the river seemed to swirl into a whirlpool and drain somewhere beneath. The pair soared upwards to clear the rocky wall. As they did the sight made both their sparks halt.

Once over the barrier, they were greeted with the sight of a luminescent purple ocean, as far as their optics could see. The beach was covered with black soil. Starscream blasted ahead of the femme towards the water’s edge, landing inches from it. She landed beside him, taking in the breathtaking view. As the sunset, the colors of the sky seemed to intensify the luminescent effect on the surface and the stars mirrored in its current. Before she could comment Starscream took an uneasy step forward.

“There was a place like this by Vos,” he said breathlessly. He took another step forward, ending up stepping into the liquid. Knightflyer stood shocked. He hadn’t analyzed it or tested its composition before touching it. As he took another step she became worried. “It was an ocean of raw Energon, stretching for miles. It was called…Primus’ Promise…” his voice trailed off. “It …it was said as long as it flowed…there was hope…that Primus hadn’t abandoned his children…” his voice was no more than a whisper. After taking another step he fell to his knees, staring into the distance. He started to tremble, lubricant welling around his sockets. Collapsing forward on his forearms he clenched his servos, squeezing the wet soil through his joints. He shook violently as lubricant poured from his optics and he began to wail as he sobbed. “It’s…it’s..!”

She didn’t need him to finish the sentence as she knelt down in front of him. Through his pain, he didn’t notice her haul him upright enough so she could wrap her arms around him and hold him as tight as she could. After a moment he felt her warmth and responded in kind and gripped her shoulders so hard he was leaving dents. She didn’t wince or cry out. She just held him, trying to let him know she was there for him. The thought of a symbol of hope and faith like that disappearing…she couldn’t imagine what that meant to Cybertronians, her people. The mech continued to sob and bury his face against her chest plate. Feeling powerless, all she could do was hold him.

After a while he calmed down and let up on her shoulders, wiping his optics. Mortified at his display he didn’t want to look at her. ‘Primus, I’m pathetic’ was all he could think. Then he felt his helm being guided to look at her and he couldn’t fight back. She smiled at him, stroking his helm with her other hand. One of the moons was at her back, silhouetting her against its ethereal light. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Without thinking he reached out and cupped her face before pressing his lips to hers. When she returned his kiss he locked her in his arms, pressing himself to her. Hungrily he coaxed his glossa into her mouth which she gladly greeted in kind. As he began to lose himself in her presence he suddenly remembered his promise to not be forceful. He slowly released her and pulled back. “I’m… I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…!” he stammered. She took his hand in both of hers.

“It’s ok,” she reassured him. “I wasn’t there to lose a home I’ve never known. You could use all the comfort you can get.” Smiling at him she stood and turned to look at the horizon, the stars dancing in the ripples of the waves. “Good thing it wasn’t acid, eh?” she winked at him playfully. He nodded at her sheepishly understanding the joke at his expense.

“Well,” he sighed as he stood, gazing at the beauty in front of him. “We’re probably the first sentient life to be out here.” Remembering all his previous explorations to new worlds he could recall an old tradition. Looking over to her he grinned, “What should we call this place?”

Knightflyer watched as a meteor skimmed the atmosphere, lighting up the sky. As it descended in the distant horizon, disappearing at the ocean’s surface, she breathed, “Primus’ Promise.” As she said it his grip on her servo tightened as they stood for what felt like an eternity.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok... so last week ran into a technical snag of sorts. sorry about the wait to upload but I R WelDer and computers are not my specialties. a few weeks ago my hubby upgraded his PC so last weekend we got a few components and with the remaining guts from his old build I finally, after a 10 yrs relationship, have my own desktop. no more fighting with an overheating laptop, regardless of how high the cooling mat's fan is set! so I spent a few days getting used to my fancy machine until I got the itch to use it with a beloved game, Skyrim. well let's say I need a better graphics card and in his attempt to placate me my other half tried installing an older one. well that was a bad idea, I still don't know what it did exactly but lots of stuff had to be reset and the Microsoft Word program I had was gone. I had to load this 2019 version so I'm hoping it will work the same in uploading. finally got the nerve to test it tonight so if you're reading this it was a success! so let's get to it!  
oh yeah! wanted to mention I think I might need to change the rating to E because of this chapter or for it. yeah, we're going there! please let me know your thoughts on this since I'm kind of conflict over it at the moment.

The pair took a stroll along the beach, still holding each other’s hand. They came across a spot in the barrier which appeared worn out by the current over time. Despite the weather holding up they both agreed to have cover was best. Knightflyer flew out about 30 meters over the water to see what kind of aquatic life might be there for the taking. Starscream had flown over the barrier and gathered some ‘wood’ for her. As he built her pyre he glanced at his storage compartment in his leg. ‘If the occasion should arise,’ he grinned as he tapped it. Out of nowhere, a huge cylindrical creature flopped beside him. The mech shrieked, startled from his musings. A second later Knightflyer landed beside it, shrugging.

“Sorry! The bastard is heavy…and slippery!” she shook what looked like slime from her hands and talons. He inched away, trying to avoid getting covered in the secretions. When she was done he looked the animal over. It was as long as he was tall and there was no discernible head. No eyes, mouth or audio receptors he could identify. Clearly disgusted by the thing he looked back at his companion.

“You’re on your own with this one,” he stated as he got up and settled on the other side of the pit. ‘No way in the Pit I’m touching that! And she’s going to…eat it?’ he almost gagged. He wondered if she’d have another ‘eye monster’ incident. Part of him thought it would be hilarious while the other concerned with energy acquisition was stern. Unable to do anything but wait for the result all he could do was sit back and watch her get to work, expertly prepping to roast the nasty thing. She used some of the thin branches to skewer pieces, and place them around the pit. Realizing it wasn’t lit yet he angled his arm and shot a very weak ray at the stack. As it ignited she lifted her head to smile her thanks.

Gazing out over the vast ocean in front of him he remembered days long past on his homeworld. Bots would gather on the shores of the ocean and talk about the future and what glory Cybertron would accomplish. Until the war… It became a place of mourning and prayer after that. Many from Vos would bring the dead to offer a final farewell or to just call out to Primus, hoping for some kind of intervention. He had joined the Decepticon movement not long after and wasn’t able to return for a long time. He did just before his world’s fall to find the symbol of hope was as ravaged as the rest of the planet. Dried up, dead. It was then he started to question his choice but there was no going back.

Shifting his gaze to Knightflyer he couldn’t help but feel hopeful again. She and he had proven that there could be a race unified again for the common good. Differences set aside to rise above tyranny and lofty ideals. They were co-existing without the pressure of expectations, class, function, or faction. He wished Megatron could see this was possible. He wanted to show him Peace Through Tyranny was a delusion.

The fact she had named this place after a beloved place of his that was no more had touched his spark beyond words. For all of her oddities, she carried a form of wisdom that he was starting to learn to appreciate. ‘Must be an organic thing,’ he thought as he felt a sense of contentment wash over him. Maybe it was the atmosphere, the view or he was exhausted from his humiliating display earlier but he opted for a bit of passive recharge. Lying back on the black sand he cradled his helm with his servos and watched the night sky dance with its stars and mists.

He didn’t see Knightflyer watching him in silent relief as she saw the look of ease on his face. She was worried he might be having a hard time here, reminded of such a painful memory. Instead, she was rewarded with a stunning view of his elegant frame, stretched out, at peace. Waiting for her meal to be done she leaned back on her forearms and took in the beauty of the night sky. From here the impact of it made her breathless. Without the mountains and trees to obstruct her view she sighed at its glory. She wondered what Primus’ Promise back then had been like under the Cybertronian sky. She felt saddened she wasn’t there to see it, to see her world before ignorance and hate destroyed it. She could only recall vague flashes from her nightmare visions in the dream that made no sense. She wished she could see it through his eyes, the way it once was.

Before she was drawn into despair she reminded herself how she should be thankful to be here, like this, with him. A small plume of smoke roused her from her reverie. Sitting up she removed the skewers from their positions and taking one in hand she stared at it. ‘You better not be like the eye…thing!’ she hoped as she tentatively took a bite. With sweet relief, she sighed and found it to be the best thing she’d tasted so far. Hearing a shuffling across from her she saw Starscream sitting up watching her. With a mouthful, she managed a, “what?” The seeker smiled and moved to sit closer to her.

“In case it was like the thing with… the eyes…I didn’t want to be in spewing distance!” he joked with a grin. Narrowing her optics she punched his shoulder as she took another bite. He laughed as she tried to look mad but it wasn’t working, as he saw the glint in her optic. They sat in comfortable silence as she ate. Starscream continued to take in the view as the colors shifted in the upper atmosphere like the northern lights on Earth, the one thing he had learned to enjoy there.

After she was done, she through the whole works into the flames. The skewers, bones and all. Starscream reached to the pile he had collected and added more fuel to the pyre. She smiled at him as he did and he couldn’t help himself as he offered her to get closer. She scooted closer to his side as he draped his arm around her shoulders. They sat for a while just taking in…everything. Her hand had come to rest on his thigh, making him remember his surprise. Shifting he opened it and produced the jug. Her eyes lit up as he presented it to her… until the memory of the hangover flashed in her mind. Noticing her apprehension he put up his other hand.

“I think I worked out the refining process this time. I actually tested it out the other day…” his voice trailed as he caught an annoyed expression shot his way. “Hey! I had your health in mind, honest!” he argued defensively. He offered it to her and she took it tentatively. She examined the flask, sniffing it before giving him a doubtful look. “Want me to go first?” he sighed, waiting for her to try it.

“Hey! Calling me a chicken?” she snapped at him, psyching herself up. “Bottoms up!” she said as she took a sip. To her surprise, it had the same heat but it didn’t linger as long as the last batch. She even thought she picked up an effervescence, which made her think of a wine she used to drink when she was human. Eagerly she took a bigger sip, relishing the wave of relaxation that rolled over her. Remembering the mech she handed it over to him before she drank it all before he had some.

He had a couple of good gulps before setting it down. He returned his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him, resting her helm on his shoulder. As the effect sunk in he felt like he could melt into her. There was so much he wanted to say but his pride had kept him from trying, lest he makes a fool of himself. Part of him hoped the homebrew would help him find the courage. As he tried to find the words he stroked her upper arm, drawing a sigh from Knightflyer. Looking down over to her, optics half-lidded, he felt his need for her cloy at his spark. ‘Primus, I want her,’ he yearned. Before he could stop himself he leaned in and kissed her gently. She leaned into it, placing her hand on his cheek. When he stopped instead of pulling away he pressed his forehead to hers, shaking.

“I’m sorry,” he said through unsteady breath, “I can’t seem to stop doing that.” He was losing control of himself and was terrified.

“Then don’t try,” she answered. Gripping her shoulder tighter he moaned.

“Are you sure? If I keep going…I might not be able to stop…” his voice a whimper at her words.

“Then don’t stop,” she answered as her voice quivered. He looked into her optics and he saw the same need in them. With a trembling servo, he stroked her face before hungrily taking her mouth, invading her with his glossa. She threw her arms around his neck pulling him closer, deeper into her. A soft growl escaped his throat as she made her desire clear. Easing her onto her back he positioned himself on top of her, between her slender legs. His interface panel was primed to open but he wrestled with his will to keep it in check. He wanted so badly to release it and satisfy himself but he also wanted to show her the longing he’d been holding back for so long.

Their hungry kisses had them venting heavily and she whimpered at every twist of his glossa in her mouth. Breaking from her mouth he moved to her neck and shoulder joints, assaulting her cabling mercilessly. She cried out and gripped his shoulders, scraping his plating. He could feel the static building as it tickled across his lips. ‘Oh you have no idea what’s in store for you…’ he shuddered at the thought of feeling her in full overload.

As he sped up his assault on her neck her hands had made their way to his back. He groaned as her fingers grazed the center joint where his wings were mounted. He quaked as she traced along the lines of his wings, inching to the tips. Releasing her neck he swiftly took her hands and pinned them above her head. He was worried he’d frightened her but instead, she gazed up at him with wanton lust. Trembling he smiled and went back to her neck softly kissing her this time. He was still trying to compose himself after she had almost caused him to instantly overload.

“You…don't…want to do…that,” he said gasping through his lapping at her cabling. Nuzzling her for a moment he rested his helm on her shoulder. “If I let you continue this would’ve been over already,” he hummed against her neck before he pushed his glossa between some plating and sucked hard. She arched her back in shock as the pleasure flooded her. In reflex, she wrapped her legs around his waist and locked their panels dangerously close. ‘Oh she has no idea what she’s doing to me’ he moaned as he sucked harder, trying to ignore her frame rubbing against him. Soon she was crying out and quaking underneath him as the sensation was too much for her.

“Oh, god! I can’t… take …it!” she pleaded as he wouldn’t let up his ministrations, the static building where he worked her. Her ventilations became ragged as he felt the charge build further until it broke and she moaned, her voice echoing against the surrounding rock surfaces. Her body going limp but quaking beneath him he slowed down and placed a few gentle kisses on her neck as she whimpered. Releasing her hands he pushed himself up so he could see her. Placing a gentle kiss on her lips he stroked her face.

“Still functioning?” he coyly asked as she nodded her head, unable to speak. Slowly he got to his knees and moved around her to wrap his arm around her shoulder. In a flash he stood, holding her bridal style. “Not for long…” he teased as he carried her to the shelter. Her optics widened, not in fear but anticipation. He gently set her down and moved between her legs again. Her optics widened even more as he caressed her thigh; inching to the place they joined her frame. As his digits grazed the area around her panel he saw lubricant was seeping through. Grinning at the sight he gazed at her. She was trembling, venting uncontrollably. Climbing up her frame he kissed her and whispered, “Trust me. Let the panel open. I’ll stop if you tell me to.” His silken voice made her whimper and her arms lost the strength to hold her up.

Running his hand between her legs he teased the plating until it snapped open. Looking up to her he gave a reassuring smile. Her outer sensory node was erect and pulsing. He couldn’t resist. Leaning over it he softly blew on it which made her stiffen and wrap her legs tightly around his shoulders. ‘Yes, definitely inexperienced…’ he sighed, wantonly. Delicately he stroked it with his glossa, as gentle as he could. The sensation made her cry out and claw at the stone floor. Slowly he twirled and teased her until she was shaking and rasping unable to control herself.

Not wanting to overdo it he eased off her node and started to trace the outline of her drenched valve with his index finger. She froze for a second not making a sound. Then it was clear he was preparing her for what was to come. Slowly he slid it inside her, her walls crashing down around it. As he slowly withdrew it she whimpered. Taking it as a clue she could handle more because she’d have to if he was to interface with her. On the next stroke, he used two digits and on the next three. Each time she moaned louder, rolling her hips to meet his movements.

The sharp sound of metal retracting echoed through the cave. He was done! He couldn’t stop his panel was opening after he felt her valve, wanting and ready. His spike instantly pressurized and through hazy optics, the femme gasped at it. It was clear what was coming. It was grey with light blue bio lights running along the shaft. A very long shaft. Seeing her take notice of his size he held back a prideful grin. This would obviously be her first time and he didn’t want to scare or hurt her. Leaning in to kiss her again he reassured her.

“As I said, if you want me to stop you just need to say it but…” he trembled as he felt like he was losing control. “But I need to warn you…I might not be able to stop.” Nuzzling her neck he whispered, “I’ve been, wanting you for so long…needing you.” She wrapped her arms around him and drew him into a passionate kiss, pulling her legs around his waist, squeezing him close.

With whatever strength and sanity he had left he slowly eased himself into her, her warm, tight valve surrendering to him. Her breath hitched as he sank in further and further until he was fully sheathed. “Primus…” he rasped at the feeling of her latched around him. She was gasping and panting, gripping his shoulders hard enough to gouge small holes in his plating. Pausing he leaned his forehead on hers.

“Are you ok…?” he asked through heavy breath. All she could do was nod her head ‘yes’. “Good…” he groaned as he slowly started to pull back and she quivered under him. Before he fully withdrew he pushed into her again a little faster. Slowly her valve released to give him more access as she got used to him. Steadily his pace increased as did her reaction to his actions. She started to match his rhythm with her hips rolling to meet his. Her cries echoed through the shelter, sending him into a delirious state.  
As his passion took him his pace quickened as did the force of his hips. She moaned and begged for him not to stop. That was enough to send him over the edge as he mercilessly slammed into her, the charge of overload beginning to build. Through his mania, he saw Knightflyer in the troughs of an incoming overload, her optics offlining moaning wantonly. As the wave of excruciating pleasure washed over them he thought he heard her scream his name. Riding out the aftershock he pumped into her a few more times before collapsing on top of her frame.

Neither knew how long they stayed like that until Starscream was able to rise up enough to disengage from her and roll over on his back. Reaching over he drew her almost limp frame over to him. She weakly wrapped herself beside him, head on his chest plating. The pair lay there, venting heavily, unable to speak. Starscream stroked her helm, running his fingers through her silky hair. She sighed as she snuggled closer to him. Sensing excess fluid between her thighs she was sure there was going to be a mess to deal with but would have to wait until she could stand. Grinning, looking up to his dim optics she couldn’t help herself.

“Well, I’m still functioning, air commander. How will you live with yourself now?” she jeered, hoping he’d take the joke. Smiling he leaned down to kiss her forehead. With a sigh, he stroked her arm. He was starting to feel guilty. When he was near overload he was so manic he hoped he hadn’t hurt her or missed her asking for him to stop.

“I’m sorry if…I hurt…if I did…something…” he stammered nervously until he saw her shake her head smiling. “Good” he exhaled his relief. “Like I said I didn’t think I’d be able to stop.”

“Why would you worry about that?” the femme asked, yawning from exhaustion. The last few days he had been going through how he’d tell her everything. What she meant to him, what he’d do to protect her, to keep her happy. He had every detail rehearsed and categorized. It all seemed insufficient now.

“It’s because…I love you too much,” he froze as the words passed his lips. Dreading her response he screwed his optics shut. They opened and softened as she wrapped her arm around his waist and held him tight.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for anyone following this story I owe you an apology. after I posted the last chapter I had a severe crisis of confidence. things like "whats wrong with me?" and "what the hell have I done?!" rampaged through my head like a heard of drunken Dinobots. although I do have most of this work completed the ending is still evading me. I have an idea but the problem is how to make it "work". also, before I got closer to fleshing out the ending I already had the start of the second part to this fiasco bombarding me incessantly. I was already well into the beginning before I uploaded my first post. anyway, enough self-pity and excuses! for now ill put up the next chapter, despite it being a short one, and keep soldiering on! thanks for your patience :)

As Knightflyer woke to the sound of waves rolling on to the shore she thought she was dreaming. Sighing she stretched and felt herself against Starscream. Smiling she stroked his chest plates. Looking up she saw he was still in recharge, his face peaceful. It felt like the night before could only have been a dream until she felt her body ache with a familiar and wonderful feeling. It had been a long time since she had felt it but the feeling of ‘the morning after’ was unmistakable. The femme let the memory of last night play out in her mind, relishing everything. Remembering every touch, every caress, and every kiss. She felt her body temperature rise with every sensation recalled. How gentle and passionate he’d been, every word…

‘I love you…’

Her breath hitched at that detail and she felt terrified. When she first heard it she was too touched and overjoyed for words. Now she was worried it might not be true. His left arm was still around her shoulder, holding her to him. ‘Old insecurities die hard…’ she reminded herself. She pushed the worry from her mind, as she held him against her frame. Even if this was a fleeting thing she wanted to bathe in how she felt right now. Content, happy, loved…sticky?

As awareness had begun to spread through the rest of her body she remembered the mess and groaned. Shifting, she could feel the trans fluid mess had dried some and made her legs make a sickening noise as she shifted. Sighing, she gently dislodged his arm from her shoulder and sat up. The sunlight washed through the sheltered area they had rested in and to her left, there was the spot he had ravaged her. Seeing the amount of fluid that was there she was grateful he had gotten her to move over to him after they had overloaded. Looking down her body she had dirt caked around her legs and…other things. ‘Ugh…figures’ she sighed as she got up and walked out to the beach.

Stretching, she took in the ocean air. ‘Never had a morning swim in the sea before,’ she mused as she walked out to the shoreline. She waded in until she didn’t reach the bottom and kicked out with her legs, gliding through the water. Swimming came easy to her, another quirk that either drew odd looks or stares of jealousy. Diving under the surface she saw coral-like formations, small creatures darting in and out of the structures. She spiraled through the water, inclining to the surface. As she broke the surface she soared out of the ocean and flew back to shore. Landing back on the beach she gave her hair a few shakes, trying to dry it. The quick dip had served to clean it and her body of the…evidence. As she combed through her hair she turned to look to the horizon where the ocean met the skyline. ‘I wonder what the rest of this planet is like…?’ she pondered. So lost in thought, she didn’t notice two blue forearms snaking around her waist.

“Jesus!” Knightflyer shrieked in surprise. The sneaky mech recoiled for a second after startling her but then proceeded to embrace her, nuzzling the back of her neck. He had woken shortly after she had left the shelter and watched her dance in the waves. He knew he should clean himself as well but he couldn’t resist surprising her. Holding her tighter he took in her scent and sighed.

“I guess I should be glad you didn’t say that name while we interfaced, otherwise I’d have to track them down,” he purred into her neck joint. The mech felt her stiffen as her body temperature shot up 20 degrees. Grinning at her response, he debated following his instincts to try to seduce her into another interfacing session. Loosening his grasp on her he spun her around to face him as he leaned in to kiss her tenderly. Pulling back he smiled at her as her faceplates turned a shade of red. ‘Maybe I should take it easy on her right now, ‘he decided as he could see her anxiety. Even though he had warned her somewhat at the beginning of their experience he was still worried it may have been too much at once. So he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and strode to the rolling waves to clean up.

‘Yup definitely wasn’t a dream!’ Knightflyer watched him wade in past his waist and start to clean his plating. Her face heated up instantly as his servos brushed against his groin. ‘c’mon! Get your mind out of the gutter!’ she groaned as the familiar ache between her legs began to throb. Face palming herself she spun around and tried to distract herself. Looking at the fireplace she wondered if she should try to catch something else, not one of the big ‘slimmer’s’. Suddenly she remembered she hadn’t given Starscream a transfusion. It obviously had slipped his mind too. Not surprising since they were…distracted…the night before. Turning around she saw the mech was done cleaning himself as he stepped out of the surf. A devilish grin crept across his face as he noticed her flustered expression.

“Enjoy the show?” he purred, winking. He couldn’t help teasing her. It was too easy to get her stirred up and he hoped it might break some of the tension. He started to worry his bold declaration the night before had scared her. It certainly scared him. Through his long life, he had never said those words to anyone or dreamt he ever would. Finally saying them had been both a relief and a nightmare. He watched his lover go from nervously fidgeting to narrowing her optics with a frown.

“Oh shut up!” she bit back, trying to mask a guilty smile. ‘Yes I did!’ she admitted in her processor but wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. “How are your Energon levels? I passed out before I could set up a transfusion…last night.” She felt her face heat up again at the mere thought of the night before. ‘Grow up!’ she scolded herself. ‘We’re both adults!’ two twenty-foot tall robot adults. That had hot and heavy sex last night! Sex that she couldn’t imagine would be possible but was definitely a thing. It was a fact that started to be comforting to her. Now Knightflyer didn’t feel so freakish about having those desires as a Cybertronian. Using that to bolster her confidence she crossed her arms and raised a brow ridge in his direction.

“A little over half. Depending on what the plan is today I should be able to wait…until you recover.” He couldn’t help tossing in a little of his trademark arrogance when he answered her. It was his way of being reassuring. He’d expended a lot of energy the night before but it had been worth it. Instead of feeling exhausted he woke invigorated, despite his levels on the low side. After broadsiding her with a surprise interfacing and dropping the ‘L’ bomb he didn’t want to overwhelm her. If he could get away with not bothering her for Energon he could wait. Her expression didn’t weaver. He put up his servos, submissively, “really! I’m fine!”

“If you say so,” the femme sighed. “If you get your aft handed to you by some big nasty because you let your energy drain too much don’t come crying to me!” she warned him, waving a finger in front of her. Turning to the shoreline she gazed out over the violet waves. “Feel up to a little sport fishing?” the femme looked back to the mech with a smirk. The seeker looked confused. ‘Of course, he wouldn’t get that reference’ she thought. “c’mon,” she coaxed. “Aren’t you curious if there another landmass out here? Maybe an island?” after finding out the thing she caught the night before was palatable she wondered if the rest of the critters in the ocean were just as good or better. It was safe to assume there were other possibly bigger, tastier creatures out there.

The mech considered her words and found his curiosity peaked. He had almost forgotten he could indulge his curiosity for exploration and science here. ‘What if there’s intelligent life on another possible continent?’ he pondered. Such a discovery would be invaluable. Starscream smiled in her direction.

“You’re absolutely right!” he nodded. “It would be a shame to waste this opportunity.” He saddled up beside her and gave her aft a playful tap, making her jump in surprise. Winking at her he took to the air and hovered a few feet above the waves. “Well…?” he coaxed.

Knightflyer hesitated for a moment. She still had her doubts about his energy levels. She considered telling him they should leave after giving him a transfusion. Her levels were fine and didn’t drop as easy as most bots. Not wanting to spoil his excitement she nodded as she leaped and initiated her thrusters, flying past him toward the horizon. Starscream spun around and caught up to her and matched her speed. Playfully she pulled away from him slightly, banking left to pull ahead and weave in front of him. Smiling he mimicked her and thus begun them dancing through the air weaving between each other in perfect timing. Holding their course straight away from their beach she had perfectly named they danced over the violet sea.


	39. Chapter 39

The pair soared for about an hour over the vast ocean. Soon the coast they had left was disappearing behind them. Neither seemed to notice as they flew, darting between each other, teasing the other with slight touches of each other’s hands. Occasionally Knightflyer would scan the water below and observe the coral and various creatures beneath the waves. Most were the same from the beach before so she continued to soar over the surface. The seeker would scan the horizon, keeping his keen optics open for any landmass or anything that stood out.

‘Wouldn’t that be a surprise if there were any vessels in the water…’ he thought as he scanned. There would be nowhere to hide if that was the case. As far as they knew there was no intelligent life here but not knowing exactly how big the planet was there were no assurances. Suddenly his scanners alerted him to something on the approaching horizon. Zeroing in he could see what looked like a small landmass in the far distance.

He was about to call out to Knightflyer as he was violently slammed into the surface of the water and pulled under. He had been so intent on his observations above he failed to detect something below him which had obviously detected him. Gaining his bearings he felt something wrapped around his right leg. A large scaly tentacle had a firm grasp and continued to pull him farther down into the depths. He struggled briefly to get free but was shocked to stillness as he saw where it had come from.

An impossibly large creature had an ‘eye’ trained on him. Taking in the scale of it the main body was 10x larger than Devastator in combined form. ‘Slag!’ he gasped as the reality of the situation sunk in. He was in its grip and there was no knowing how strong it was. Quickly he went back to prying at its tentacle. He felt a shift in the water pressure and frantically looked around himself. In horror, he gaped as a larger one was reaching out towards him. 

Starscream braced himself as a sudden jet stream of water shot past him and collided with the massive limb, sending it recoiling back toward the main body. As the disturbed water settled he saw Knightflyer latched to it, tearing and clawing it to pieces. She turned to his direction then leaped towards him sending another wake behind her. Not wasting a moment she tore and slashed at the offending limb until it released him. As it did she looked at him and smiled. He reached for her until her face went blank before she was hauled backward, toward the surface. The monster had snatched her leg and was hurdling her upward. The seeker watched in horror as it pulled her through the surf and swiftly slammed her back through it into the depths. As it pulled her down he saw her optics offline, unconscious. 

The sight of her prone and helpless made his Energon boil. Putting everything into his thrusters and weapons he aimed in her direction, cluster bombs trained on the grotesque limb that dared touch her. As he rushed it he fired everything he could close to where it gripped her. The flesh exploded, sending chunks and gore in every direction. Steering towards her he reached out and wrapped his arms around her, aiming for the surface. His proximity sensors went off warning him of another attack incoming. He dodged one, then two tentacles as they grabbed for him. Another made a grab as he breached the surface and flew as fast as he could. He put at least 100 feet between them before he looked down to see the beast half surface, then descend under the water. Sighing he held her close to his frame.

That was until another alert sounded in his processor. His Energon levels were getting dangerously low. ‘Slag my pride!’ he scorned himself. ‘If only I had been honest before…’ getting his bearings again he scanned for the landmass. Steering towards it he concentrated on Energon distribution, hoping he’d have enough to get to shore. Trying not to panic he held her close. He dreaded the thought of them plummeting back down into that thing’s waiting grasp. As he neared the island his thrusters sputtered and choked.

“Dammit!” he swore to himself. As they gave out they splashed into the waves 50 feet from the shore. Sinking down another 80 feet he started to haul them to the ascending sea bed. As he trudged on he didn’t look back, hoping the thing wasn’t there. Soon he broke the surface and dragged them both on the beach. Collapsing into the black sand he rolled onto his back still clutching Knightflyer. He laid there for a few moments venting heavily. After he calmed himself he rolled to his side, laying her on the ground. She appeared undamaged, just unconscious.

Starscream gently shook her shoulder but she didn’t stir. When she didn’t wake he scanned her for injuries. ‘Must’ve been from the shock of the impact,’ he reasoned, stroking her forehead. He sighed as his alert system sounded again about his seriously low energy. ‘Not going anywhere now, better not move around too much,’ he told himself trying not to panic. Taking a moment he scanned the island, which calling it thus was generous. With no foliage and barely any rocks it was a glorified sand bar, about 100 feet in diameter. He was having trouble keeping his optics online so he decided to lie beside Knightflyer, taking her hand in his. “I’m sorry…” he whispered as he slipped into forced recharge.


	40. Chapter 40

Knightflyer woke with a headache that rivaled the engex hangover. The sound of the waves crashing around her was like a poorly timed march of drunken Constructicons. On lining her optics slowly she winced, her eyes assaulted by the ethereal glare. The femme covered one optic with a servo, “fuck…” she groaned. When she couldn’t lift the other one her optics snapped open as she turned to find out why. “Oh shit!” she exclaimed as she hauled herself up to look down at the unconscious mech holding her hand.

Prying her hand from his she hurriedly looked him over for injuries. Finding none she sighed in frustration, “you stubborn bastard…” As she started the transfusion she confirmed his levels were dangerously low. Just as she had feared, he had lied about it. The fight with that monster had taken everything out of him. Looking around she concluded he had to have flown them to this place. “I guess chivalry isn’t dead…” she sighed as she stroked his arm. He stirred at her touch and opened his optics. A relieved smile spread across his face until he looked at his arm and he knew he was in for a lecture. “What did I tell you about getting your aft kicked?” she said firmly. All the seeker could do was shrug sheepishly. “Don’t worry about it,” she reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll get you out of the red zone and fly us back to the beach.”

“Us?” the mech repeated, as the image of him riding her before flashed in his processor. With recent circumstances, he didn’t know how to feel about it. Slightly embarrassed he sat up. “I’m sure I can manage...” he started to argue before she abruptly put up her hand.

“I didn’t fuel up earlier and that bastard out there knocked me for a loop. I can give you enough energy so that you’re not in danger but I need to make sure I have plenty to get back.” She crossed her arms exasperated, “you should have told me…” sighing, Starscream stared at the dirt between his knees.

“I know…” he huffed. “I just didn’t want to ask too much. I mean…I didn’t want to overwhelm you…especially with…” his voice trailed off, lost for words. He wasn’t used to fearing his own voice. Clearing his throat he steeled himself to look her in the eyes. “I know what happened last night…It was a lot…to handle. I was afraid I could have hurt you and…what I said after…I didn’t expect that either.” His arm shook under her hand as he held his breath. Letting out a heavy vent he stilled, “but I meant everything! All of it!” he all but shouted as he forced the words out. Dropping his optics again he mentally kicked himself, ‘Wow, talk about pathetic! Should’ve kept my mouth shut!’ he couldn’t help clenching his fists in embarrassment and horror. Honesty was terrifying!

The sudden sensation of lips on his forehead snapped him out of his self-pity. Looking up he saw her eyes soft with a film of lubricant, “that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Leaning in she gently pressed her lips to his, drawing a soft moan of relief from the seeker. Cupping her face he coaxed her mouth open with his glossa. Wrapping his engaged arm around her waist he pulled her into his lap. She settled there as they lovingly explored and teased each other’s lips. Venting heavily Starscream pulled away from her and rested his head on her chest plating.

“We should probably be on our way, shouldn’t we?” he cooed into her plating with his silken tone. He felt her spark pulse faster against his audio receptors. ‘This could be an interesting trip,’ he recalled how aroused he had become before when she had carried him. Even though things were in the open now he had to try to keep himself in check. Especially with that huge monster out there, they couldn’t afford a distraction on the trip back. Looking her in the optics she almost looked like she was pouting. Nodding she disconnected the ports and stood. It took him a moment to do the same. His low energy had him feeling like he was made of lead. The slight pressure behind his panel wasn’t helping matters either.

Knightflyer scanned the area and got her bearings for the beach. After stretching she crouched and looked over her shoulder. The mech was grinning with his hip cocked, hand resting on it. “C’mon! Don’t make it weird!” the femme whined, wings sagging. She completely forgot he might he tease her over this. No longer enemies and being “very familiar” with each other was a whole new ball game. Narrowing her optics to him the seeker shrugged and walked up behind her. As he climbed onto her back he found it far easier without being handicapped.

Holding onto her shoulders he tapped her when he was ready. Steadying herself by holding onto his legs she sprinted a few yards until vaulting almost 90 degrees to the clouds. She kept the steep climb until they were over a hundred meters above the ocean surface.

“Hopefully big and ugly can’t reach this high!” she called over her shoulder. Starscream merely nodded as he concentrated on the purple ocean, watching for any sign of the beast. The pair travelled in silence on their journey back. Both found concentrating on threat detection was a good way to keep their libidos in check.

Hasty travel this time only took about half an hour before they returned to Primus’ Promise. Setting down close to the shelter Starscream slowly dismounted, trudged a few feet, the plopped down unceremoniously on his aft. The mech looked pitiful and exhausted. Knightflyer went to his side and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Don’t worry, just rest. I’ll be right back in no time,” releasing his shoulder she vaulted over the barrier. This would be a one-stop-shop. Swooping toward the whirlpool she snatched up two critters before they saw her. Steering back to the barrier she grabbed as much deadfall as she could carry. Within minutes she was back at camp. As she set to work she looked over to the shelter the mech was leaning against the stone wall in recharge. “Good,” she sighed in relief. She had feared he might be up and around wasting his Energon for nothing. His stubbornness might be the death of him someday. It very well could’ve been that day.

‘Still weird,’ she sighed. ‘Having him be…like…this!’ she shuddered as her tanks twitched recalling his affections. Since she got her new form she never imagined she’d be in any kind of romantic situation with any bot…least of all Starscream! At first, it had seemed like Hot Rod was starting to test those waters but as soon as the Creation Matrix was discovered he backed off big time! That had hurt more than she thought it could. Sure they had been friends since she had arrived and she felt somewhat close to him but part of her wanted more. Now that she wasn’t organic she thought maybe…something might come of it. When that dream got shot down she gave up hope and had told herself she was just weird hoping for romance or a relationship from any of the mechs.

Shaking her head she concentrated on her task, not wanting the past to distract her. She needed to get him energy as fast as she could. After a half-hour, she was refueled and cleaned up. As she approached the mech she knelt beside him. As she took his arm port he remained in recharge, not stirring. She sat to his left watching him vent softly, faceplates relaxed. ‘You are a handsome bastard,’ she sighed. Using her left servo she lightly brushed her hand on the outlines of his lips. Trailing down his chin she traced the lines along his neck and then cockpit. His vents got deeper and he softly whimpered. The femme bit her bottom lip, pensive. ‘I wonder how much it would take to wake him up…’ her curiosity got the better of her!

Turning herself closer to him she let her left hand trace his lines and plating lower and lower. When she reached his waist she paused and looked at his face. His lips were slightly parted and his venting had sped up but he still appeared to be unconscious. A devilish excitement spread through her as she inched toward his interface panel. Gently stroking the seams she felt his body stiffen and slightly squirm. Glancing up she saw his optics were still offline but his lips had parted more, almost into a gasp. Heat spread through her now as she felt her own panel twitch. Applying a slight pressure to his plating it snapped open and a fully pressurized spike sprang out.

This time she took its portions in at leisure. Not only was it long but fairly girthy, despite his slender frame. ‘No wonder!’ she mused as she watched the bio lights pulse along its length. Softly she stroked the top of it with one digit, drawing a moan from the mech. Optics darting to him, his optics were still offline but his mouth now more open, venting deeper. Gently wrapping her hand around his shaft she started to slowly and softly stroke his length fully. Each stroke made him whimper and shiver as she gradually increased her speed. For a moment she wondered if she would get him to overload in his sleep, leaving her unsatisfied. Curiosity won over her libido as she increased her speed.

A couple of pumps and a violent shiver made his optics snap online and he gazed around seemingly confused. She froze as he came online and tried to smile through her mortification. Venting heavily he looked at his lap, optics wide, before looking into her eyes. Before she knew it he had reached with his right arm and pulled her into his lap, locking her close. He took her left with his own and holding it to his lips gently kissed and caressed the port. She gasped and whimpered, finally able to find her senses. The sweet sensation made her panel open instantly. Releasing her arm he stroked her face with the back of his hand, gazing wantonly into her optics. 

“I’m in your hands this time…” Starscream whimpered before he gently kissed her lips. Cupping his face with her hands she dove into his lips, forcing her glossa against his waiting one. As she assaulted his mouth she positioned herself against his frame, preparing to mount him. Gripping his shoulders she slowly lowered herself on his spike, gasping as she slid down his length. The seeker broke the kiss as she whimpered and he stroked her back until she stopped and on lined her optics again.

“You don’t have to if it’s too much…” Starscream reassured her as he stroked her wing joints. Her optics were wide and faceplates flushed as she vented heavily. The femme managed a weak smile and kissed him tenderly before pressing her forehead to his. Steadying her breath she concentrated on relaxing, to allow her body to accommodate him. The pressure she felt was a bittersweet pain. Even when she was human she never had a man with a member this large compared to herself. Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth she would be dammed if she was about to quit. ‘I was probably in shock last time,’ she reasoned. ‘Or he shifted more around than I thought!’ she shuddered remembering how he had ravaged her after thoroughly working her into a frenzy. Realization fired on like a light switch! ‘Note to self: foreplay a must!’ now it made sense. She’d just have to go slow for now.

Bracing herself against his shoulders she slowly lifted her hips. Heat washed through her abdomen from the friction as she went as far as she could before lowering herself again. Starscream had a firm grip on her hips now, supporting her as her valve wrapped around his spike. They sighed in unison and soon lubricant pooled. Knightflyer thanked Primus for it! The mech coaxed her to lift again and this time was met with a moan of pleasure. She breathed deeply relaxing as her now soaked valve let his spike slide into her effortlessly.

She soon picked up the pace of sliding herself along his shaft, lifting and gyrating on top of Starscream. Taking her movements as ques he held her tight as he matched her rhythm with his own hips and arms. The seeker pulled her close to kiss her passionately as they danced in pleasure. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close. Heat radiated between the pair as he teased the femme’s wing joints making her whimper into his mouth as their bodies crashed together.

Letting go of the mech's neck Knightflyer leaned back, finding another delicious angle as she rocked her hips even harder. Starscream had to support himself with one arm behind himself as her frenzy intensified. He looked down between himself and the femme. He groaned, watching her mercilessly impale herself with his spike. His body felt like it was on fire as he felt the charge build until he couldn’t control his voice. He locked his optics on hers as he felt her valve tighten almost painfully around his spike. “Primus! I’m…I’m going to…” he never got to finish as he was gripped in the troughs of overload. Throwing her head back Knightflyer was close behind him, keening his name, digging her claws into his shoulder plating.

As his vision cleared the mech saw his lover slumped back on her forearms, body quaking. Letting go of her waist he took hold of her arm to gently pull her forward and against his cockpit. Leaning back against the rock wall he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. She was still straddling his lap, his spike still sheathed in her valve. All she could do was nuzzle his chest plates as she came down from her climax. The sensation of his spike slowing depressurizing drew a soft moan from her. Starscream shuddered slightly as it retracted and the panels snapped shut. Noticing their transfusion lines were still connected he contemplated disconnecting them. Gently he did so and found her frame leaning fully on his. Her soft venting and limp frame told him she had slipped into recharge. ‘Wore herself out,’ he smiled as he stroked her helm. Not wanting to disturb her he rested his head on top of hers and offlined his optics. Satisfaction and contentment washed through his system as he listened to her spark pulse as he fell into recharge.


	41. Chapter 41

It was well after nightfall when the femme woke, still in Starscream’s lap. After her exertion her frame had stiffened from her position, making crawling off of him a bit of a chore. She was about to head for the beach when she was suddenly yanked back into his lap, sideways. The mech smirked as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Where do you think you’re going?” he cooed, nuzzling her neck. Sighing in defeat Knightflyer draped her right arm around the back of his neck.

“Well I was going to get cleaned up…” she gestured awkwardly to her midsection. The seeker smiled as he stroked her chin, gazing into her optics.

“Plenty of time for that,” he said before kissing her tenderly. After a moment he squeezed her tighter, “I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” he sighed. Knightflyer blushed and looked away nervously. He chuckled at her display. ‘A mighty warrior felled by a few words.’ He wondered if getting her flustered like this would ever lose its charm.

After a moment she leaned her head on his shoulder and listened to his deep vents and rhythmic spark pulse. If things had turned out differently at sea that day she might not be listening to it now. Even though his low Energon levels had been his fault she still felt a little responsible. ‘I should’ve just insisted before we left,’ she scolded herself. 

It seemed every time they took this place for granted something happened to humble them by reminding them they were the visitors and at the planet's mercy. For a moment she started to worry about their survival there. ‘How long will my luck last?’ she wondered. Without any clue on how to control her abilities, she was afraid to become too complacent. ‘What if next time he gets hurt…I can’t…?’ she winced at the idea she might end up alone here eventually. At this point, the thought of him dying was a million times worse than the first time. ‘Now I actually have feelings for him. I think I actually love…’ afraid to finish the thought she screwed her optics shut. A gentle stroke of her faceplates drew her attention to the seeker. He must have sensed her unease as he wore a stoic expression.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “If you’re embarrassed about taking charge before, don’t be!” he smiled. “I know I’m not,” he added with a devilish grin. Initially, Starscream had been surprised at her bold action on his person. Waking to her fondling him was the last thing he expected, not that he was complaining. It actually had begun to excite him about the possibilities down the road. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been in any kind of meaningful relationship. He felt as giddy as an engex junkie at the prospect. Shaking her head, the femme smiled back at her lover.

“It’s nothing,” she reassured him. “I was just wondering whether we should keep exploring, in this direction, that is.” The ocean had proven to be a danger zone, even for a couple of Cybertronians. She wasn’t sure risking another surprise encounter with something like that “Kraken” was worth it for now. “Maybe we should head back to base, check on things, then go the other direction overland this time?” she shrugged, waiting for his opinion.

“You might be right,” sighed Starscream. He couldn’t help feel a little disappointed. “Probably for the best until we have more information on what lives out there. We’ll just have to try again later after some research.” The feme leaned into his shoulder and couldn’t help but giggle.

“Well, one thing is for sure. I think it’s safe to say we’ve determined the wildlife here hates you!” she poked his pectoral slat, winking. “Either that or you make a great fishing lure!” she couldn’t help teasing him about his bad luck with the organics of this world so far. Judging by his confused expression he didn’t know how to take her statement. Shaking his head, the seeker wanted to change the subject.

“In any case,” he huffed, “we should probably rest up some more before heading back.” Starscream gazed past his lover, scanning the sight of the beach. He took in the dark ethereal glow of the moons in the blackened heavens, the reflection of the stars in the luminescent violet waves. He wanted to commit it all to memory. His optics focused on the femme’s fire pit. His systems sped up as his processor was flooded with the memory of their “first” intimate interaction. He could still remember the ache he felt for her as they sat sharing a drink. He also remembered the fear he felt trying to get the courage to express how he felt. The mech didn’t notice himself sigh deeply as he reminisced. 

Knightflyer followed his gaze after noticing his “far off” look. Smiling she leaned into him, shimmying in his lap, to settle down for the rest of the night. She watched the faintest of smiles grace his lips as his frame began to heat up slightly. Mentally shaking her head she could only imagine he was reliving the events from only hours ago. ‘Naughty boy!’ she wondered if he was going to work himself up and ravish her again. Part of her wished to Primus he would, while another part craved rest. It had turned out interfacing was just as vigorous if not more so than human sex. He seemed so peaceful and lost in thought that she didn’t want to disturb him. She closed her optics and listened to his steady venting. Breathing deeply she engrossed herself with his scent. Before she knew it, she had drifted away.

By the time the seeker snapped himself out of his trance the femme in his lap was deep in recharge. He stroked her hair that swept around her shoulders and over her chest plates. Starscream closed his own optics and quickly followed her in recharge.


	42. Chapter 42

Again Knightflyer woke before the seeker, this time not so uncomfortable. Gently she squirmed out of his arms and made a B line for the water. She couldn’t stand being covered in trans fluid and lubricant anymore. After a quick swim, she came back to shore refreshed and with breakfast in hand. She busily went about her normal ritual, thinking about returning to their previous site. As much as she liked this place she found herself getting excited about going back to the river base. After a few minutes, she started in on her grub and studied the surface of the rock face beside the shelter entrance. It was perfectly smooth and almost exactly shaped like a rectangle. As she tapped the skewer on her thigh an idea came to her…

Starscream had begun to stir by the time she went back to the shelter. He stretched his wings, leaning forward. Having them pinned between him and the wall all night left them stiff. He grinned as she sat next to him and took his servo in hers. With her other one, she started the transfusion. Smirking, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. He was rewarded with the femmes faceplates instantly heat up as she gave him an awkward smile. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her display.

“How am I supposed to take you seriously as a warrior now?” the mech shook his head. “Especially when a simple gesture of affection can make you so flustered?” the seeker gently coaxed her chin to get her to face him. For a moment her optics went wide as saucers and her face turned five shades of red. Starscream couldn’t stifle a laugh which earned him a stern stare from the Autobot. 

“Careful,” she warned, “or you might have to find your own Energon.” Letting go of her chin the mech put up his hands in surrender as she gave him a playful punch to the side. “Anyway, we should be on our way soon.” The Autobot flyer gazed out over the beach. This place would be memorable for her in so many ways. Starscream followed her gaze and sighed as he took her hand. Contentment spread through his spark as they sat in silence, both committing the place to memory.

Once the transfusion was finished she stood and stretched. The seeker did the same, flexing his wing plates. The pair stepped out from under the outcropping and Knightflyer turned to face the shelter for one more look. With a half-bow, the seeker gestured to his partner, “after you, my lady.” Shaking her head trying to hide her embarrassment she launched into the air and glided to the top of the rock face. The mech turned to do the same but froze when he saw the surface beside the entrance. In black letters were the words “Primus’ Promise”. Glancing down at the ground he saw a charred bit of wood. Starscream smiled as he took off after his lover, headed for home.

The pair followed the same course back to the river base. There were sporadic cloud formations developing during their journey. Not wanting to chance it they opted to fly straight back without stopping if they could help it. Rising anxiety made Starscream divert as much power to his thrusters as he could afford. He didn’t care to experience another killer storm. Sensing his urgency the femme kept pace with him, playfully treating their flight like a race. She knew it wouldn’t help matters if both of them panicked.

Around mid-afternoon, they arrived back at the river fork. The mech landed, collapsing to his knees with a relieved sigh. Straightening himself he scanned the camp. His keen optics focused on the cave and found it empty and undisturbed, save for the equipment inside. There were a few different sets of tracks in the sandy spots of the beach. Thankfully, none were so big as to belong to one of the huge predators.

Knightflyer landed close to the river bank and stretched. “Home, sweet home,” she sighed as she watched the waves roll past. The sound of metal scraping against stone startled her attention to the cave. Starscream was already dragging out the distiller. He set it by the river’s edge before going back to the cave to retrieve the grill. She smiled as the mech attempted to place it exactly how it had been before. The stack of wood was still beside the entrance so that was one extra trip that didn’t need to be made that day. She decided after the long trip back she’d do a little fishing. Especially with the risk of a possible storm approaching. Not wanting to waste time she waded into the river and begun tracking her prey. Within seconds she one in hand and not thinking chucked the critter in the seeker’s direction.

He didn’t know what hit him as he was taken by complete surprise. So engrossed in positioning the grill his OCD had him oblivious to the femme's actions. The fish slap to the face snapped him into reality as he narrowed his optics toward the river. There stood his companion, looking somewhat mortified. A sultry grin spread across his lips as he went to retrieve the bowl. ‘That calls for some punishment,’ he mused as he came back to pick up the fish and settle by the shore.

The devilish grin never left the mechs face and it made Knightflyer shudder. She could only imagine what was running through his processor. ‘I might be in trouble tonight…’ as the possibilities ran through her mind she was thankful she was in the water. Shaking her head she focused on her task at hand. After only ten minutes she had a bowl full and returned to the shore as Starscream set it down beside her station. Smirking, he gave her aft a sharp tap as he sauntered over to inspect the still.

He left her to her work as he checked the reservoir. The amount he had left behind was still there. Thankfully it hadn’t evaporated. ‘Might need to make another ore run tomorrow,’ the seeker thought to himself. He took the jug from his thigh compartment and poured the remaining liquid into it. Pinching it shut he returned the vessel to his storage before taking a seat against the outer wall of the cave.

The clouds were starting to steadily accumulate and darken the sky. The seeker's eyes kept darting between them, Knightflyer and the mouth of the cave. Despite her earlier experience she didn’t seem to be any panic of the incoming storm. Instead, he watched her poke at the flames and hum some song he didn’t recognize. Venting deeply, he decided he’d try to follow her example and try to remain calm.

Out of the corner of her optic, the femme could see the mech fidget nervously. The thickening cloud cover was no doubt concerning him. Normally she would’ve thought his fear was almost childish but here the weather had proven something not to be taken for granted. Despite the danger, their shelter had been able to shield them against the deadly bolts of electricity. After the last few days of excitement with venturing out to sea, she was glad to be back to the “mundane”. ‘I better be careful what I wish for next time,’ she mused.

A distant crack of thunder shook her from her thoughts. Scanning the horizon she could see it was still a way off. Glancing toward the cave she turned just in time to see Starscream dive headfirst inside. After a moment the seeker gingerly poked his helm outside. Another far off clash of thunder making him instantly retreat back inside. “I’ll be in here…” his voice cracked meekly from inside the cave. The femme desperately tried to stifle a giggle. She didn’t want to hurt his warrior’s pride, such as it was.

As the wind began to pick up fiercely she collected her feast and headed inside the cave. She found the seeker in the corner farthest from the entrance, slightly trembling. The femme smiled softly and sat next to him, placing a servo on his thigh. “You know we're safe in here, right?” he smiled back, weakly nodding. “Good,” she nodded back as she dug in.

Starscream could’ve kicked himself for displaying such weakness. Even though they weren’t in an adversarial situation anymore his old instincts scolded him for acting so shamefully. Despite it all, he was genuinely scared. First almost getting eaten by a giant sea creature, now an electrical storm. ‘No rest for the wicked’, the seeker sighed. With the absence of combat, his nerves seemed easily shaken lately. Glancing to his companion, he began to realize why. For once in his life, he had someone who he cared about and who cared for him. He had someone else to worry about besides his sorry spark. He wasn’t used to this kind of anxiety.

A sharp crack and brilliant flash outside shocked him from his reflections. He stifled a shriek just before a curtain of rain begun to cascade over the mouth of the cave. Closing his optics Starscream tried to concentrate on his venting instead of the nightmare outside. ‘Primus! I’m pathetic…’ he groaned to himself as he drew his knees under his chin. ‘How can I expect her to want me if I can’t even handle a simple storm?’ Suddenly an arm snaked its way around his shoulders and squeezed him hard. His optics snapped open to find Knightflyer smiling softly as she rubbed his shoulder with her hand draped over him.

“Your secret is safe with me,” she winked before giving him a peck to his cheek plates. Taken aback, the seeker didn’t know if he should be insulted or relieved. Choosing the latter he nodded back letting go of an intake of air he didn’t realize he was still holding. His wings drooped slightly from the blow dealt to his pride. Closing his optics the mech leaned into her warmth. He was thankful for her aura of calm despite the turmoil outside and in his mind.

Knightflyer held him in silence, praying he’d be able to calm down. It disturbed her to see him so shaken up to the point of terror. Knowing him to be prideful he was no doubt disgusted with himself. Without teasing him she tried to put his mind at ease. She felt his frame relax against her as she caressed his shoulder. The femme grinned as she heard his breathing even out and his servos loosen their grip on his legs. Soon his knees slumped toward her as he fell into recharge. Sighing her relief, she rested her helm on his and settled in for the night.


	43. Chapter 43

Starscream woke to silence and bright light streaming across the cave floor. He sighed in relief, thankful the storm was over. After a moment he realized he was alone in the cave and fought to stay calm as he felt a bought of panic threaten his processor. Scanning the area he found a disturbance in the cave floor. Looking closer it seemed to be a note left by Knightflyer. A crude depiction of trees with a pair of bat wings hovering over them was etched into the soil. Grinning, the seeker activated his comm system.

“Starscream to Knightflyer, come in.”

“Good morning,” the femme’s voice sang through the connection. “About time you got up. I was thinking you might still be out when I got back.” He could practically hear her smirk on the other end of the line. “Sorry for not letting you know I was going out but I thought you could use the rest. I figured I’d go looking for wood and anything else for a bit. I’m not far and won’t be long.”

“That’s fine,” the mech responded. “I’ll hold down the fort until you return. Just don’t bring back anything too… weird.” He tried to hide the relief he felt after hearing her voice, safe and sound. ‘Get a grip on yourself! Stop panicking at every little thing like a Mechling!’ he scolded himself.

“Aww! What fun would that be?” she whined back. “Just kidding! Anyway, I’ll see you when I get back. Laters!” as the connection went silent Starscream stood and stared at the cave floor. He was at a loss as to what to do until she came back.

Glancing around, the almost forgotten beacon caught his attention from its lonely corner. Bending down to pick it up he brushed it off and inspected it for damage. Other than a few dents it looked intact. Switching it on it whirred to life, panels blinking and flashing. He watched the main display scroll through various codes and protocols. For a moment the screen turned red with alerts flashing across a grainy screen. Narrowing his optics he focused through the static. Just as he thought he could make out the words “flare activity” the screen surged and offlined. 

The seeker froze. He raked his processor, trying to confirm he had actually read the words correctly. ‘Must’ve been the interference,’ he rationalized. ‘Wheeljack did build it after all. It must be glitching or defective!’ the mech stood up, leaving the device in the dirt. He stared at it as if it was the most repulsive thing in the universe. “No! It’s broken! It must be!” he bellowed to himself. The longer he glared at it, the more he repeated himself. After a whole minute, the terrifying thought finally surged through his mind. ‘What if it wasn’t?!’ the mech gritted his denta until he could taste metal shavings on his glossa. He felt like he’d been hit by an immobilizer, frozen in fear. Just as their situation was getting back to normal, they could be in extreme danger.

Girding himself the seeker snatched up the device and marched out of the cave. In one fluid motion, he turned and launched himself toward the peak as fast as his thrusters could carry him. He set his course straight for the place they had set it before. He landed with such force that he almost skidded right off of the narrow ledge. With unsteady servos, Starscream set the beacon down and turned it on again. For what felt like an eternity the diagnostics booted up and then it ran through its various sequences. The data feed stopped…and the screen flashed with bright, clear letters… Dangerous Solar Flare Activity Detected.

Optics wide, mouth agape, he stared in disbelief. Off lining his optics he reluctantly opened them again, praying to Primus he was imagining it. His wings sagged in disappointed dread as he saw it wasn’t so. Snapping his helm towards the heavens he balled his fists and shot straight up into the atmosphere. He had to see it for himself! Putting everything he had into his thrusters he carved through increasing pressure. As he climbed closer to the clouds it became even harder to ascend and he fought to push on. This was bad! If the scan was right could they escape even on their own power?!

He concentrated on power distribution to his thrusters as they began to sputter as he cleared the cloud cover. As he battled the increasing gravity his alert systems flared warnings as he overtasked his body. Focusing on the sun he sharpened his vision to assess the situation. It took everything he had to stay aloft, seemingly motionless and hovering in place. His sensors caught an area of activity on the sun’s surface. Narrowing his keen optics, even more, his fear was confirmed. There was an area that appeared to be very unstable, multiple flares surging randomly.

In a moment of shock and disbelief, the mech completely gave up his struggle to fight the gravity. He let himself be pulled towards the planet’s surface until the friction of the atmosphere against his frame snapped him back to the present. Firing his thrusters again the seeker struggled to control his descent. As the force of gravity lessened the ordeal became easier as he neared the mountain peak once again. Leveling off he landed beside the beacon and collapsed on his hands and knees, venting heavily. His servos dug into the soft soil as he began to shake violently. 

“WHY!!!??” The mech screamed as he felt his spark would shatter in his chest. Coiling into himself he vented raggedly. “Why… why did it have to be here? Why did I have to find happiness on a planet that’s slagging doomed!?” squeezing his optics shut he tried to stop the flood of lubricant welling in his sockets. Terror and sorrow forced a meek sob from his throat causing his tears to flood forth. They were trapped. Literally! The strange gravity made sure of that.

His misery deepened as he thought about how he’d tell Knightflyer. He had to tell the one he loved that they were going to die and there was nothing they could do about it. As he sobbed uncontrollably his tanks threatened to purge what little Energon he had left after his endeavor. After everything, they’d overcome and had become the whole thing felt like a sick joke.

Starscream shifted to sit on his aft, legs splayed apart, slouching inelegantly. After a few minutes, his fit of despair eased into a general feeling of depression and futility. He began to wipe away the remnants of lubricant on his faceplates only to cause the dirt on his hands to smear where there was moisture. With a heavy sigh, the seeker craned his helm to the sky and tried to consider the current state of affairs calmly. Despite the serious implications of the flare activity he couldn’t remember seeing any evidence of their effects on the planet that could be attributed to the phenomena. The only possible evidence could be the severity of the electrical storms. There was no way of knowing if they were normally that bad or if it was a new development.

‘Now I wish there was some sentient life here. At least I’d have some basis of comparison from any information or data they could give me…’ the mech lamented. ‘From what I saw… it appeared to be the beginning of an instability. It could very well be a long time before any serious effects present themselves down here…’ the seeker relaxed slightly at the thought that they might have time to figure out how to escape, or be discovered and rescued. He soon found himself hopeful. No matter how unfavorable the odds, it was a start.

The mech turned to the beacon, still flashing its warning notification. The sight of it left a bittersweet feeling in his spark. Part of him cursed Wheeljack for its accuracy while another praised him for building something actually functional. Hauling himself to his feet he picked up the device and switched it off. Scanning the view stretching out across the valley the seeker was surprised to realize he was actually sad about all this disappearing. Before the organic nature of the planet had disgusted him but now he didn’t give it a second thought. ‘Humph. I must be going soft.’

“Knightflyer to Starscream”

The femme's voice rang through the com system and shocked the mech from his reverie. Shaking his helm he cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t betray him. “Starscream here”

“Hey, I just got back and you weren’t here,” her voice carried a hint of worry. “Everything ok?” The seeker winced at her words, reminded of his obligation to tell her the bad news. He knew he couldn’t keep it from her but also wished he didn’t have to be the one to do so. He remembered her reaction to the news that they were somewhere to hell and gone and his spark sank.

“Ah, yes…” he stumbled over his words, knowing he had to tell her in person. “ I just had to check something quick. I’ll be heading back soon.” It took every circuit in his frame not to sound concerned.

“Ok…” Knightflyer whispered. “Well, I’ll see you when you get back. Over and out! Ha-ha!” her lighthearted response should’ve relieved him but it only made him groan in despair. Steeling himself he took off for home to deliver the news


	44. Chapter 44

Knightflyer stood by the river, waiting for Starscream to return. Something in his voice made her uneasy. That and the fact he had gone off without so much as a word. She had returned from her outing excited to show him the ore she had found for the still. She had also found a new area for collecting wood which was beside a field full of a plant that resembled potatoes in both appearance and taste. It was the first time sampling any flora for fuel and now she was excited to make it a habit to test other plants. Her enthusiasm soon deflated when she found the camp deserted.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” the femme said to herself, shaking her helm. ‘He was probably just bored and went for a cruise.’ She went over to the cave entrance and busied herself with organizing the woodpile. The low rumble of thrusters told her he was back so she stood, turning to greet him. His normally vibrant crimson optics seemed dull. There was a slight smear of soil on his face and his normally proud stance seemed off. His wings drooped slightly as he took almost painfully slow steps toward her. ‘Ok…’ she thought pensively. Hoping to cheer him up she smiled and waved. “About time!” she jeered. “I managed to find more fuel, ore, and something to expand my menu.” Standing proudly, she gestured to her haul.

Her cheerful demeanor sank him further into depression. He glanced over to the still and saw a considerable pile of the ore there. Staring at it he wondered how she had managed to carry it all here herself. Turning his gaze to the device in his hand he swallowed hard before looking Knightflyer in the optics. Her smile disappeared as he remained silent, seemingly stuck in some strange trance. She fidgeted nervously, struggling to handle the situation. “Geez, who died...?” she choked awkwardly.

His optics seemed to dull even more as he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came except a weak rasp. “Starscream…?” the femme whispered. It wasn’t normal for him to be so lost for words and his body language had her deeply worried. Calmly she walked up to him and took his free hand. She found it trembling. A second later he dropped the beacon and wrapped his arms around her so tightly she swore her armor would buckle. She did her best to reciprocate, waiting for him to collect himself. It felt like an eternity passed before he loosened his grip and released her.

“Sorry….” The seeker said as he rubbed her upper arms and meekly looked at her again. “I turned on the beacon earlier, to see if it still worked. It gave a strange reading so I went back to the mountain to see if the cave was affecting it.” He paused for a deep intake, steeling himself to explain further. “There was no interference this time and it gave the same reading. I even went to see for myself. It’s …its detecting solar flare activity. Enough that eventually the sun's instability will cause it…to go nova.” As he forced out the sentence he fought to keep his composure. He watched the femmes face go blank as she stood stock-still. It was a few moments before she reacted.

“Well… wow!” shaking her head, she forced herself to process the information. “That’s definitely a problem. How long until that happens?” Starscream just shrugged. “Ok… well if worse comes to worst we could chance leaving the planet ourselves. I mean we can handle being in space and…” she trailed off as she saw his face wince. “Oh, god! What else?!”

“When I checked myself, I tried just that. For some reason, the force of gravity increases the further away from the surface you go. It defies so many laws of physics; in any other circumstance, I’d be intrigued to study the phenomena. I barely got far enough to visually confirm the readings.” His gaze lowered to the ground as he explained. He couldn’t look her in the eyes. As his hands slipped from her arms he balled his fists in frustration. He heard her utter a breathless “oh” as he felt her step back a few paces.

Knightflyer stared at the empty space between their pedes before slowly turning around to look at anything but him. She didn’t feel anything but a painful void filling her chest. ‘Why…why is this…?’Her processor fought through a miasma of reflection to even form a coherent thought. Struggling for control she flexed her servos until all she could do was clench them so tightly her talons dug into plating.

‘My fault…this is my fault! If I wasn’t so useless, so helplessly stupid!’ her mind reeled with guilt and despair. She had known all along that it was her doing that they had ended up there. It had irked her before but to find now they were trapped by the planets fucked up physics itself was a whole new fresh hell. A hell they probably wouldn’t survive. So focused on her inner turmoil she didn’t notice her frame shake violently as tears leaked through her tightly shuddered optics. Starscream must’ve noticed as she barely felt his hand on her shoulder, which made her want to run from his touch. ‘He’s going to hate me now… I have to tell him… oh god!’

“It’s my fault…” she rasped through a strangled voice.

“What do you mean?” the mech cautiously inquired. “I highly doubt even with your…unique…quirks you could affect a star.” Starscream tried to keep his tone light. The situation was fragged enough without his usually inappropriate humor. She remained silent and trembling under his touch. He considered trying to comfort her with an embrace but something told him he had to give her time. Time to work through whatever was causing her this distress.

“I’m the reason we’re here…I brought us here…and this place is fucking doomed! Primus has a sick sense of humor!” she almost laughed through her words. “Almost as sick as giving me this…thing without telling me how to use it, or explaining…anything!” Straining to keep control she covered her faceplates with her servos, willing her tears from crashing through her lids. She decided it didn’t matter anymore, the secrets, the lying. If they were doomed to die what did it matter if she told him the truth, the whole of it. Taking a deep inhale, she closed her optics and took a moment to compose herself before facing the seeker, her seeker.

“I know how you were healed, every time. And I also know how we got here. At first, it was just a suspicion, a guess, until I had a… nightmare.” Chancing a glance to the seeker she saw him raise a brow ridge. “Truthfully it was a couple of nightmarish visions before the pieces were put in place, save the one I was aware of.” The femme tried to form her words carefully in her manic state. Her other episodes of verbal diarrhea were out of fear and desperation. She needed this to make sense. “Believe me when I say the times it happened I wasn’t in control because it’s the absolute truth! Probably some knowledge that got lost when I jumped into a skin job way back…” to her it felt like time was being stretched out painfully as she tried to explain her guilt. Willing all the resolve that was left in herself she forced herself to stand tall and look him in the face.

“The long and the short of it is I bear the Creation Matrix and it’s the cause of all my….weirdness! The portal that brought us here, your recoveries. Even my dimension jumping and….shit! The only problem is I don’t have the faintest clue how to use it or control it! When I said I felt like I lost control I wasn’t lying…” as the words passed her lips she felt weak. She felt relief finally offering somewhat of an explanation and also pain from betraying the promise she had made to Optimus. She felt her knees buckle as she felt herself collapse, only to be caught in the seeker's arms. He eased them both to the ground as he held her firm.

For all the vague explanations and reasoning he’d heard over the last few months he was relieved to hear something that made sense. Even if it didn’t make any sense from a scientific view, a theological one was better than nothing. The Matrix of Leadership itself didn’t make any logical sense so if the Creation Matrix did exist, then so be it! And of course, who should be the carrier but none else than the strangest femme he’d ever encountered…and fallen for. The logical part of his processor fought with the info presented but in his spark, he believed it to be the truth. The ‘miracles’, and her strange symbiosis with the organic, all made sense…in a nonsensical way.

Starscream held the trembling femme as tight as he dared. Suddenly he realized she had been trying to hide a secret that Optimus himself had most likely sworn her to keep. Despite that, she had helped him, healed him and just now revealed everything to him. All at once he was reminded of the times she hesitated revealing anything about herself. She had tried so hard not to let things slip, despite her attachment to him. Sighing deeply, he wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for making you feel pressured…those times.” Now more than ever he felt the need to protect her from Megatron. If that was; even only an inkling, of why he was sent to retrieve her, the implications were too much for him to think of right now. If she did indeed have the Matrix of Creation… the burden of responsibility she must feel was more than he could fathom. He was thankful it had deemed him worthy of saving but at what cost to Knightflyer…?

The mech turned his attention to the femme, limp, sobbing in his arms. Gently he rested his helm on top of hers as he tried to soothe her with gentle strokes to her shoulder. After a few minutes, he felt her calm down as she held him in kind. He stroked her helm, running his servos through her hair. It was then he realized it was her unnatural traits (for their kind, at least) he found the most endearing. Her hair, her recharge habits….even her hunting skills. She was the most unique, beautiful, wise and selfless being he’d ever encountered. That was what he truly loved about her. Again, the thought he could have extinguished her from existence in a second years ago made him cringe.

“I don’t blame you, you know?” the seeker offered. “I blame Megatron. I blame Optimus. I blame Sentinel. I blame Primus….and hell! I’d blame myself for this turn of events before I can even think of blaming you now!” the mech gave her a strong squeeze before easing off to cup her chin, to look into her optics lovingly. “This isn’t your fault” he whispered, wiping away the tears from her eyes. “And I’d be lying if I said I regretted even a moment of it.” Starscream gently kissed her forehead before pressing his to hers. The period he was injured and dying felt like it happened an eternity ago. “The time I’ve spent here with you has been the most meaningful life I’ve had since before this dammed war. No matter what happens I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Her indigo optics widened as she tried to shutter them before another flood of lubricant came forth. Again she felt his arms around her, trying to shield her from the world. She was so tired, tired of hiding her secrets, tired of trying to pretend to be strong, tired of trying to be courageous. She had been trying to be like the others but they had been Autobots for centuries. She only had this body for not even a year. Her soul may have been one but she felt like a child in an adult’s body. When she was organic she fought for them to let her contribute but now she felt obligated by some force she couldn’t place. And now that force had bound her into a position she didn’t want. A gentle stroke to her helm shook her from her self-pity.

“We’ll figure this out, so don’t get upset, ok?” the mech cooed over her audio receptor. His voice both calmed her and made her tears flow unbidden. She sobbed uncontrollably as he continued to stroke her helm and shoulder. Above all else, she needed a release, not physical but an emotional one so she couldn’t stop her tears no matter how much she tried. All she could do was grip him tighter. So consumed by it she didn’t even notice him pick her up and take them to the cave. The mech held her and tried to soothe her the best he could until she fell into recharge.


	45. Chapter 45

Knightflyer couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or if the universe had disappeared. She couldn’t recall falling asleep during her breakdown and was terrified something horrific had happened. She was surrounded by an empty, cold black void. The atmosphere felt suffocating and malevolent. There were no stars, no moons, no light… nothing!

“Star…. Starscream?!” she wailed into nothing. Desperately she tried to scan for him, for anything! Her voice seemed to be smothered by the emptiness so not even an echo could be heard. The only response she got was crushing silence. “Oh, god! Please…please!! Somebody…anybody! Please don’t tell me…” the femme quaked in fear. ‘What if…what if I …’ she dared not even think of the possibility if she had lost control in her despair. Again, feeling overwhelmed with futility, she coiled, wailing to the nothingness around her.

A soft blue glow slowly enveloped her, gradually making her open her optics. The warm light embraced her with a comforting radiance. As she relaxed to observe it the light slowly focused in front of her. At first, all she could see through squinting eyes was the outline of blue optics. Then all of a sudden there was a frame in front of her, clear as day, and familiar as her own.

“Optimus…!?” Knightflyer gasped as she fought to find her voice again. The form nodded in response. Despite the lack of atmosphere or substance she threw herself to his frame and cried with joy as she found his form had substance. Burying her face in his chest plates she cried and held on to him for dear life. Even if it was a dream she needed…this. She felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulders and squeeze assuredly. Her momentary relief was replaced with tremendous guilt. Then she felt a gentle servo placed on her helm and she knew he wasn’t mad. Despite this she still hated herself.

“I’m sorry…” the femme whined into his plating. “I broke my promise. I failed Primus. He entrusted this Matrix to me and I can’t even control it. I told Starscream…everything! What kind of Autobot am I now? I’m so useless and weak!” between sobs she tried to steady herself, as she admitted her sins to her mentor.

“Knightflyer…Alexis, you’ve done nothing wrong.” The mechs low, gentle voice echoed through the void, making her still. She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard her old name. “You’ve failed no one. And as for the secret of your Matrix…if Primus didn’t wish the seeker’s life to be saved it wouldn’t have happened. There’s a reason you saved him…as he did you.” The femme froze for a moment before drawing back to look up at her leader, His gentle optics shining down at her. “If a Decepticon can find the light again than there’s hope.” Despite his faceplate, she could see him smile and her spark felt warm again. “Trust yourself; trust your spark and you’ll find your way home…both of you. Primus chose you for a reason to bear such a gift. I believe you have the strength to believe the same.” The Prime embraced her with both arms this time, his warmth calming and reassuring her. Then all at once, she felt him pull away and she felt frozen again. Looking up she saw him drifting away, through a mist of white. “Take care of each other, child.” Was the last thing she heard before he was enveloped in the haze. In a panic she tried to follow, reaching out trying to grasp him, finding nothing. 

“Optimus…?” she whispered into the nothing. Balling her servos she took a deep intake and let it go forcefully. “I will… we will get home!” she proclaimed to the void as she felt a force pull her sharply downward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as I'm getting closer to wrapping this thing up I'm trying to get as many chapters posted as I can, especially since I've already been working on a possible second part this train wreck. I've read, reread, and reread these chapters over so many times I'm probably just hampering my progress so I'm pushing through to get the elusive ending worked out. so, once more unto the breach dear friends!
> 
> p.s. I've chosen Knightflyer's human name for a few reasons, but the main one is the actual meaning of it. traditionally the name means defender or protector and i thought it might suit her.


	46. Chapter 46

Starscream had set in for a passive recharge. He wanted to be alert if she needed him for anything. That didn’t save him from an unexpected strike to the chin as Knightflyer bolted up straight out of recharge, head-butting him square in the jaw. The pain made his optics surge, making him disorientated. The mech tried to stifle a growl as he rubbed his chin with wincing optics. As his vision cleared he saw the femme venting heavily, optics wide, in some kind of shock. Hesitantly he put his hand on her shoulder. She froze for a moment before looking him in the optics as her gaze softened. Grasping his hand on her she shook her head, “I’m ok….just a little out of it.” She managed a weak smile as his frame relaxed.

‘At least it wasn’t another nightmare…or whatever.’ The seeker mused with relief. Despite this, he was still concerned for her. “Are you ok?” he looked at her with concern. Prime’s voice still echoed in her mind as she got her bearings. The seeker had her in his arms, holding her tight. Taking a deep intake, she tried to relax into his warmth.

“Yeah…” she breathed. “Just fevered dreams and all.” Knightflyer forced a meek smile as she tried to reassure him. The mechs expression softened slightly as he brushed a few strands of hair from her brow. Despite her reassurance, he was still concerned. He couldn’t imagine the weight of responsibility she must’ve been carrying all this time. The seeker leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.

“I’m glad,” he whispered. “Well, not about the dream part…” he choked nervously. Knightflyer chuckled, deepening her smile. Starscream couldn’t hide his relief at her display. His embarrassment was worth it to see her beam again.

For a moment he wondered what his trine mates would think of him acting this way. They had never seen a side of him that didn’t involve cruelty, underhanded scheming, and destruction. They probably wouldn’t believe his behavior to be genuine and accuse her of reprogramming him. ‘In the beginning, the thought had crossed my mind…’ he mused. Any emotional attachment had been abnormal for him, in the last few millennia, anyway. Part of him knew they would be appalled and disgusted, but another wondered if they were there as well would they see the same sides of her as he did.

Suddenly remembering his brother’s personalities he shook that train of thought aside. Not just because it made him picture them tormenting her in various ways but also to avoid the slight tug at his spark. This was the first time he had been away from his trine this long. With all the eventfulness since arriving there, he hadn’t had time to think about their absence. ‘Definitely going soft’ he lamented. How many times had he wished for Skywarp to stop his childish pranks with his teleporting and Thundercracker either moping or complaining of one thing or another? He never thought he’d ever miss them. Starscream knew he didn’t have time to waste worrying if he’d ever see them again. He had work to do!

“I think I’m going to see what I can do with the beacon. See if I can make it useful…somehow.” The seeker said determinedly. He flashed the femme his most confident smirk. She nodded as she tapped his arm, hinting she wanted him to release his iron grip on her. Reluctantly he did and she stood to stretch. “I’ll go to the crash sites to salvage materials.” He sprang to his feet and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll be right back,” he winked before walking ahead out of the cave. “Com me if you need anything,” he called over his shoulder as he took off.

Knightflyer waved him off, smiling. She was glad he was focused on a goal instead of brooding over the possible end they might meet. Gazing around the camp she saw the strange dawn, twilight diffusing through the sky. ‘Must be early’ she mused. Scanning the camp she felt numb. She knew she should probably fuel up but found she had zero ambition to hunt, fish or even bother starting a fire.

She walked over to her pile from the day before and grabbed a couple of the ‘taters’ before settling at the river’s edge. In a matter of hours, their once cozy sanctuary felt like a prison. Deep down she knew Starscream’s overconfidence was an act he put on for her benefit. No matter how brilliant he was there was no way he’d be able to build a ‘miracle’. Prime’s words echoed in her processor again. Taking a deep intake she decided not to dive down the well of despair. Taking a resolute bite of the vegetable she decided to try to think of the situation logically, despite the complete lack thereof.


	47. Chapter 47

By the time Starscream reached Knightflyer’s crash site his earlier bravado had almost disappeared. He wanted to keep a brave face for the femme's benefit. The last thing he wanted was to see her distraught to tears again. He had flown there with gusto; now that he was alone his wings sagged in shame. The mech buried his face in his servos. “What was I thinking?” he moaned.

Dropping his arms he walked around the wreckage, scanning for any relays or circuits not completely destroyed. ‘Best I can hope for is to boost the beacons signal strength,’ he thought to himself. ‘Even the chances of that being successful…’ the mech sighed as he bent to collect a few half-scorched pieces.

After twenty minutes he had a handful of what might work from the rubbish. He seriously wondered if going to his site was even worth it. The seeker decided he’d rather take the time to look. That way he could procrastinate having to look idiotic in front of Knightflyer. Stashing the materials in his storage he took off in the other direction.

After an hour the mech returned to camp with his meager haul of components. As he walked into the cave to retrieve the beacon he saw the feme sitting on the beach, seemingly lost in thought. Choosing not to disturb her he collected the device and brought it over to where the still sat. Setting down the beacon, he got to work dismantling the still for parts, but not before pouring off the remaining Engex into his vessel.

Once his handmade coils were removed he tore open the service hatch on the beacon and began to examine its construction. After a few minutes, he took the still coils and started rolling the malleable metal into thinner strands. Next, he connected a few of them to one of the relays he salvaged. Grinding his dente and narrowing his optics he painstakingly clamped wires before turning the machine on. “Come on…” he pleaded as he waited to see if the signal had been boosted. The seconds felt like hours until the screened flashed “error” and powered down automatically. With a low growl and a curse, he ripped the panel open, starting over.

Unbeknownst to him, Knightflyer had been watching his efforts. Part of her hoped he’d be successful but she knew the reality of the situation. Judging by his frustrated grunts his first idea had failed. Sighing she turned back to the rolling stream. Despite the fact he was just wasting his energy on a fruitless endeavor she felt it was better than him spiraling into terror and despair. In the end, she knew it was up to her if they escaped. ‘It’s my fault we're here, anyway…’ she reasoned. ‘I’ll just have to try…. whatever that means.’

A small electrical sizzle followed by a tirade of Cybertronian curses drew her attention back to the seeker. “Strike two…” she muttered, watching him rip more material from the still. ‘If I don’t distract him, he’ll just torture himself.’ The feme picked herself up and walked over to the mech.

“Hey,” she said gently as she placed a soft servo on his shoulder. Startled, he dropped whatever he was holding and snapped his helm to face her. “Time for a break?” she asked, smiling warmly.

“Yeah, maybe…” he stammered with wide optics. He wondered how long she had been watching his veiled attempts at success. Venting heavily he let his shoulder relax to her touch. ‘She must have seen me tense…’ he mused. He raised his opposite servo to gently grasp hers. “Definitely!” he beamed at her.

“Well, to your station, commander!” she joked stepping to the water’s edge. He didn’t need to be told twice. The mech retrieved the bowl and took his place at the shore. She was already in the waves, scanning for her first catch. Starscream sighed and smiled. ‘This may only be fleeting but I’ll enjoy it as long as I can.’ He lamented.

About an hour later she had caught more than enough. So much so the mech had to set some off to the side. Instead of returning to his project he sat with her by the fire and opted for some polite conversation.

“I’m curious,” he began. “Seeing that all the Autobots with ground vehicle modes can’t fly, why is your alt mode a ground vehicle and not a jet or plane?” he cocked a brow ridge in her direction. “I mean, you could’ve scanned one instead of a car. Was a certain “hot head” influencing your choice?” her almost annoyed expression turned into a pained wince.

“You really want to bring up stuff about a possible ex-crush?” she moaned, covering her face with her hands. The mech instantly regretted his statement and nervously fidgeted.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…” he stammered, lost for words. As he went to try again she put up her servo to stop him. Shaking her head, the feme smiled through her embarrassment.

“It’s ok,” she assured him. “I suppose that’s a fair question.” She took a deep intake before answering. “Hot Rod and I were friends from the beginning. Since the day… you know?” she nervously brought up. Starscream nodded, meekly. “Anyway, I was fond of him. We clicked, even when I was only six feet tall and organic. After ‘the change’ I started thinking, maybe, we’d get closer. Things were looking that way until the whole Matrix thing…” the feme sighed, poking some coals with a branch. “He backed off big time after that. I mean, you would’ve thought I had the fucking rust plaque or something! Needless to say, I was hurt. It also made me think that anything romantic wasn’t normal for Cybertronians and I’d scared him or…whatever! Like my eating thing. After that, I decided to keep that shit to myself.” With a huff, she straightened her frame and looked Starscream in the optics with a smile. “So, you can see why… this,” she gestured between them, “has been a bit of a shock.”

“Well,” the seeker declared, “his loss is my gain.” The mech took her hand and brought it to his lips. He was rewarded with her face instantly going crimson. He smiled his approval as she giggled nervously. ‘That does explain a few things,’ he concluded. After a moment Knightflyer cleared her throat.

“As for my alt mode… I never actually scanned anything,” the Autobot shrugged. “It took me forever to figure out the transforming thing. When I did, there it was. Optimus theorized maybe Vector Sigma did it based off of what was already running through my processor, or something.” Her vehicle mode was almost identical to Hot Rods, except for the spoiler shape and her color scheme. “So if I had a certain mech on the brain at the time…” she sighed. The seeker merely nodded instead of pressing the matter further.

As Knightflyer ate the mech returned to his work, slightly more relaxed. She watched him tinker with the beacon, knowing it most likely wouldn’t work. Despite his intelligence, she knew realistically it was too much to hope for. After collecting the leftovers in the bowl she made up her mind. She had purposely caught more than she needed for the day. There was enough for the next day, for which she had a vague plan. The feme considered discussing it with Starscream but decided against it. ‘Why get him worked up, especially if it doesn’t work?’ she reasoned.

After tidying up she excused herself to the hot spring for some relaxation and meditation, of which, she was in desperate need of. If her idea was to work she needed as much focus as she could muster. The problem being was she had no idea of what she was to focus on. There were many outcomes. Of the two extremes, one could be a complete success, the other utter disaster.

Trying not to overthink, she observed the scenery. She took in every sight and sound as she inhaled deeply. One way or another, someday this place would disappear for them. The Autobot wanted to remember it, as it was, for as long as she could.

The feme took her time returning to the camp. She made a few detours on the way for the sake of reminiscing. At one point she landed beside the river and leisurely strolled along its bank back to base. She remembered the spot they had recharged and she had woken up in his lap. She smiled warmly, remembering how mortified she had been. ‘If only I had known how things would end up…’ she mused. When she arrived she found her seeker where she had left him, absorbed in his task. ‘My seeker…’

Because of her unhurried return, the day was coming to an end, the faint signs of dusk diffusing in the sky overhead. Starscream seemed oblivious as he continued with his work. She observed him for a few minutes before walking over to him. She knelt beside the mech before using her hand to guide his helm to face her and kissed him tenderly. He sat frozen after her spontaneous action and watched her slowly walk toward the cave.

“Coming?” she asked with a suggestive tone. Starscream dropped the relay he had been working on before following her into their sanctuary.


	48. Chapter 48

The seeker had roused early, finding Knightflyer curled into his shoulder. He sighed, remembering the previous evening. Their interfacing had been different than the last few times. Instead of hurried, needy passion, they had worshipped each other for hours. Starscream had never experienced such tenderness before. When the overloads finally came, it had been a sweet release. He almost wondered if he should be worried but pushed the thought aside. It was the first time, while he was conscience, which she had initiated the act and that was all. Her stirring brought him back to the present as he observed her.

“Good morning,” he cooed as she opened her optics. She looked up at his face before giving his cockpit a squeeze. Instead of sitting up to start the transfusion she managed to connect them while she nestled to her mech. They lounged in comfortable silence until his levels normalized. This time she sat up to close her port before looking at Starscream solemnly.

“I want to go back to Primus’ Promise…” she said in a low, almost uncertain, tone. She held her breath as the seeker sat up, looking slightly concerned.

“Alright, well whatever you want to…” was all he could respond with. He wanted to ask ‘why’ but something told him not to pry. He knew upsetting her would do no good.

“I was thinking after we get cleaned up. I have leftovers so I’m good as soon as I finish them.” Knightflyer crawled over to the bowl and paused a moment as she held it. After a few nanoclicks she started in on her breakfast. Starscream excused himself to wash up in the river. It wasn’t long before the feme joined him for a quick dip.

Afterward, the seeker began moving their equipment into the cave as he had done before. As the feme watched him, her spark felt cold. She was torn between watching him fuss, and telling him not to waste his energy. Instead, she looked around their camp. ‘Home, sweet, home.’

“That should do it,” the mech declared as he dusted off his servos. He sidled up to his lover, took her servo in his and raised it to his lips. “Whenever you’re ready, my dear.” This time she didn’t blush or shy away. She smiled and kissed him tenderly. The mech was almost disappointed he hadn’t gotten her flustered. ‘Guess the novelty wore off…’

As she turned to get ready to take off he could’ve sworn he saw a faint film of lubricant glossing over her optics. He was about to ask her what was wrong but couldn’t find his voice. ‘I’ll wait until we get there but now I know there is something bothering her.’ he sighed inwardly. With the inevitable destruction of this planet, of course, there was something bothering her! He watched her look around the camp before she vaulted into the air, with the mech close behind.

They took the same route as before and stopped at the roaring rapids to rest. The seeker thought she’d go fishing or go for a hunt. Instead, she removed what remained of yesterday's catch from her storage compartment. After finishing it she topped off Starscream’s levels before they set off again. The mech was really worried now. She was acting completely out of sorts. He had to remind himself he'd leave it alone until they arrived at Primus’ Promise.

The mech let her lead the way. At times he would fly beside her and steal glances in her direction. She appeared not to notice, as if her mind was a million light-years away. He wanted to take her hand; give her whatever assurance she might need but there was a shadow of fear cloying at his spark as they flew on in silence. ‘as soon as we land!’ he decided. The worry for his partner felt as though it was eating him alive.

Soon they arrived at the mountainous barrier. The pair cleared it and glided down to the familiar shoreline. Knightflyer landed first, facing the luminescent tide. Starscream landed a few feet behind her and watched as she stared out towards the horizon. With a sharp intake, he straightened his frame and stepped beside her.

“Are you ok…?” he asked awkwardly. She didn’t budge at the sound of his voice. “what’s wrong?” he asked more sternly this time. “I know you well enough by now to know something is bothering you. Please…just…talk to me.” He watched her, waiting for her to answer him. Suddenly, without looking at him, she turned and walked towards their old shelter and faced the sign she had fashioned. He followed her, hoping she’d explain what was causing her strange behavior. Slowly she traced her finger along the words, Primus’ Promise until she placed her hand against the rockface as she lowered her optics to the ground.

“I wanted to come back here…” her voice was barely a whisper as she tried to find the courage to speak. “I wanted to come back here before…” she rasped before her voice caught in her throat. She inhaled deeply before she lifted her head and turned to face the seeker with woeful optics. “the dream I had the other day was more like a vision. In it, Optimus spoke to me. He said I could get us home. He said he believed in me and that I could do it. But…I have no fucking clue how!” as lubricant streamed from her eyes, she shook her helm. “I mean, anything could happen! What are the chances that I get us home or that I just implode the universe?!” Her shoulders quaked as she tried desperately not to fall apart in front of him. “I know I have to try but…I’m terrified!”

Starscream took her into his arms before she could upset herself any further. She buried her face against his cockpit as she sobbed. As much as he wanted to come up with another way to escape, he knew it was impossible. So far, all his own feeble attempts had been in vain. With the limited resources available the prospects of success were dismal. If she was indeed the cause of their arrival there it should stand to reason she was their best chance to escape. That was if she could figure out how. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have to bear the weight of that kind of responsibility. The mech racked his processor for the right thing to say to put her mind at ease, but knew nothing would he could say would be good enough. Sighing he ran his fingers through her hair.

“I wish I knew what to say. I wish I could solve this problem for you. I wish I could build the most powerful vessel in the galaxy and whisk you away from this place…” at his words, he felt her trembling lessen. Easing back, he wiped her tears as she tried to smile for him. “what I do know is that Optimus has never been known to lie, no matter the popular Decepticon opinion. If he believes in you, as I do, then I wouldn’t worry.” Taking her by the arm he guided her to the water's edge and got her to sit with him on the beach. He put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close. Sighing Knightflyer leaned against her seeker as they took in the breath-taking sunset, perhaps for the last time. In one way, or another.


	49. Chapter 49

Slowly the ethereal daylight faded as the sun elegantly conceded to the haunting moons and wisps of red and green across the starlit sky. The stars shone brightly against a velvet canvas, reflecting like the purest of diamonds upon the surface of the vast ocean. As the gentle waves ebbed against the shore their soft splashes echoed against the surrounding rock. The occasional sound of a sea creature could be heard as it surfaced, only to descend again with a slap to the water’s surface. A gentle breeze rolled along with the tide, caressing the shoreline, weaving through Knightflyer’s hair. Neither, mech or feme spoke or moved as the night descended upon Primus’ Promise.

Despite how still her frame was, Knightflyer’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The last couple of days had drained her both emotionally and physically. Learning about the inevitable fate of the planet and telling Starscream the truth about her had taken its toll. In her spark, she knew he was right about trusting Optimus but the more she thought about it the possibility of disappointing him with failure made her feel ill. She also worried about failing Starscream in escaping this trap. No amount of reassurance from him could quiet that fear. For a moment she dared to imagine the possibility of success and what would come next. Where would they go if they returned to Earth? Would they be able to avoid his old faction? would they be able to turn to hers for refuge? As the questions piled up, she closed her eyes and tried to still her mind.

She let herself lean closer into her seeker as he squeezed her shoulder once again in a comforting gesture. She tried to focus on his strong, steady intakes. The rhythm seemed to help calm her tormented mind. As her breath matched him she took in the purifying scent of the ocean and rock, similar to that of Earth. Knightflyer let her processor recall the last time she had taken in any of the scents from there. Slowly the earthy scent of green grass and moist brown soil came forth in her mind. She remembered the soft caress of an afternoon breeze carrying the woody smell of trees and sap. Thinking about Autobot City, the image of the nearby lake came into her mind’s eye, along with its almost gamey essence from its reeds and the animal life it supported.

As she relaxed even further, she felt as though she would fall into recharge, hovering between the realms of sleep and waking. The images her memory conjured slowly shifted into a fog of grey and blue. For a moment she thought it resembled the same place she saw in her visions. Seemingly without substance or actual plane of existence. Without fighting to make sense of it all she let herself be its casual observer. Gradually the fog seemed to shift in multiple areas, slowly spinning in the same direction. Soon she was surrounded with a seemingly endless number of blue whirlpools of mist, spread out before her. In awe of the sight, she felt overwhelmed and fearful. Still, somehow, she knew she had to hold on to the balance between the domains a little longer. Willing herself to remain calm she watched the tapestry of portals before her as they spun in unison. In the corner of her vision, she spotted one that shone a brighter blue that seemed to beckon her. The feme tried to focus on moving towards it and did so gently, fearing to disturb the image, like a stone thrown into a still pond. As she came to stand before the blue light a familiar warmth emanated from it. She held her breath as a set of azure optics shone back at her with a blue servo extended through the mist. It was then she understood…

The seeker sat beside Knightflyer in silence as he felt her relax against his frame. For how still she was he thought she had fallen into recharge and decided to not disturb her. Gazing out towards the horizon he remembered how before he abhorred the organic nature of this world. Now he found himself regretting its fate. He wondered how long before it would all be gone, possibly with no one to remember it.

Suddenly he was aware of Knightflyer slowly shifting to sit up straight. Cautiously he withdrew his arm as she leaned forward slightly. After a moment she slowly opened her optics, as they shone a brilliant white. Stunned he watched her stare forward, eyes half shuttered, as though in a trance. At a loss of what to do, he waited for her to do something. Up until then, he had seen her do plenty of weird stuff but this was completely new.

“I see it...” she whispered without turning to him. “I see the way back…” Starscream froze, afraid to shock her out of her trance, in case she lost whatever link she had with… whatever she was experiencing. “I think you should hold onto me. I don’t know how long this will last…” she said warily. Cautiously he crouched in front of her and gently wrapped his arms around her. Slowly she did the same as he took in a deep intake. As he released it, he firmly held her against him and pressed his forehead to hers. He closed his optics and readied himself for the unknown.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next…. Whatever happens, know that I love you,” he breathed as he gently kissed her forehead.

“I love you too….” She whispered as a single tear trailed down her face as she closed her eyes and they were enveloped in a wash of white light. For an instant the beach was illuminated so brightly it could’ve been seen from space. As the light ebbed away slowly the night reclaimed the black shore as the light of the moons shone down on Primus’ Promise and all was still, save for the soft waves against the shore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all I can say is ... wow! I can't believe I actually finished this. its been a labor of love and a struggle to find a suitable ending but I'm glad I finally have. worry not about the cliffhanger ending. as I said before I have the next part on the way and hope to start getting it up soon. thank you to all who have left me comments, kudos, etc. like I said before this has been my first ever attempt to do this and am tremendously thankful to this community for all the encouragement and support. until we meet again Until All Are One!


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